A Special Halloween Report on Spooky Fishermen Superstitions
Sailors with tattoos won’t drown (crosses and heart tattoos recommended).
Uttering the word “pig” onboard invites bad luck (go for “sow” or “hog”).
Getting wished “Good luck!” before heading to sea is actually…bad luck. Same for setting sail on a Friday.
These rank among the many superstitions held by fisherfolk, across centuries. With Halloween season here, it presents a timely moment to explore how those superstitions help prevent spooky—and outright scary—situations on the sea. One is particularly Hallow’s Eve appropriate: Black cats, it turns out, are good luck to have onboard.
Peter D. Jeans, author of Seafaring Lore & Legend, understands why superstitions and life at sea go hand in hand.
“It would be true to say that no group of workingmen harbors as many superstitions within its collective breast as do sailors,” Jeans writes, “and this, perhaps, is as it should be, for no body of workers endures such dangerous conditions of employment as those mariners who ply the seven seas in pursuit of their daily bread.
“If your life hangs in the balance day after day…you are going to call on every prayer and superstitious belief known to man in the hope of saving your miserable skin.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has compiled a list of its favorite fishermen superstitions as part of its Voices of the Bay project, which is “intended to assist educators, students, and the general public in learning more about fish, fisheries, and fishermen.”
One famous superstition: Leave any bananas on shore, as they are known for enticing disaster.
The theories behind that are many. One holds that boats carrying bananas don't catch fish, which some track back to the Caribbean trade of the 1700s, when boats moving bananas had to travel quickly to avoid spoilage, making any trolling for fish tricky. Another points out bananas can kill a man if trapped below deck with the methane-emitting fruit. Yet another theory is that venomous spiders like to hide out in bananas. And there's also the thought that banana peels plus careless crew members equals cartoon-style slipping.
The LA Times reports on a Florida fisherman named Bouncer Smith who takes his version of the superstition to extreme places.
“You have to watch out for Smith, who appears to have gone overboard with his banana fetish,” Pete Thomas writes. “He gives wedgies to unsuspecting clients he suspects of wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear.”
“‘Typically, when customers arrive in the morning, the first thing I do is interrogate them,’ Smith said. ‘First, I check for bananas, then I check for Banana Boat sunscreen products, then for Banana Republic shirts and blouses, then for Starburst strawberry-banana [candies] and, most important of all, for Fruit of the Loom labels.’”
Another superstition noted by NOAA and Jeans alike: Umbrellas aren’t welcome either.
“Umbrellas were frowned upon because by their very nature they were associated with bad weather, and the sailor had no need of climactic elements that refused to cooperate with him in his desire to make a safe and speedy voyage,” Jeans writes. “An umbrella on board ship was quite likely to incite the gods of the ocean into venting their considerable spleen.”
Stepping onto a boat with the left foot first is another no-no. Whistle on a boat at your own peril, as it works like a request for haunting winds. Also: Never ever lose a bucket overboard.
Flowers are unlucky too.
“It was a strong article of belief among [sailors] that flowers are solely for funerals,” Jeans writes.
Some notions don’t age all that gracefully. Case in point: Redheads aren’t good to encounter before setting sail. Another famous superstition: Female passengers aren’t recommended.
“A woman on board makes the seas angry,” Voices of the Bay writes in its list, “and is an omen of bad luck.”
Some beliefs, logically enough, center on attracting fish. If you play a fiddle or guitar, fish will approach to enjoy the tunes. Talking while fishing, however, will scare them off. Same goes for swearing.
Other superstitions work well as overall life advice, two in particular: 1) Don’t look back once your ship has left port as this can bring bad luck; 2) Don’t fill in the destination in your navigation log until you’ve arrived.
Monterey Bay fisherman Mike Ricketts has been at his craft long enough to observe plenty of superstitions. But that doesn’t mean he commits any thought to them.
“That’s all just wive’s tale shit, old school,” he says. “There are probably some people that do believe those superstitions, but there isn’t time to worry about what might be or could be.
“You just gotta go fishing.”
Happy Halloween.