Maritime superstition and lore.........

I have sir I have, and you know there ain't much difference ....except maybe the horse piss is a wee bit stronger! Which of course is why the coke drinkers don't drink too much of the stuff prefering virgins water - Bells I think they call it! & I wouldn't give that stuff to the horse in the first place to turn into....

 

Much as I hate to re-direct all the entertaining chatter about women/whisky(whiskey) etc etc.
I have actually re-named my boat as well as re-painted (but retained the same color).So in the true spirit of Maritime tradition how should I re-launch the boat? Should she have a re-christening, champagne over the bow etc, perhaps flags and bunting and the firing of a small canon???

Mychael

 

I'm in the process of renaming and repainting my boat

After reading about the amout of grog that must be consumed and spilt to appease Neptune during the rechristening ceremonies, I decided to rename my boat every time I take her out.

 

True story re sailing on friday

I was running as mate on a small/oldish (60fter) prawn trawler in the gulf (Nth E Aust.)

She was a wet boat (not equiped with snap freezer) and a skipper from the land of the longer white cloud - an island chain to the Sth E of Aust.

This was friday and went ashore for a few ales with a friend of mine who had been marooned there for some two years actually he worked at the mine on the island

All the crew were aware (previous crew had jump ship ) that on a previous friday the skipper intended to sail and the engineer had rendered the engines inoperable

As night approached (we trawld for tiger prawns at night) the skipper decided to sail (should not sail before midnight)- forecast 30kns of wind

This was the first night of tri-net set up (an extra net between the two outer nets) it takes some mucking arround and adjusting to get em right-not in 30kns
though this was my first tri set up i had seen it and worked them on other boats)
Yep hooked up -sh.. hits the fan skippy backed of the revs and got us stern to the 3 metre swell more luck then good management! i cut the port cable and three hrs later we recovered the three nets
any one who has hooked up knows it is touch and go whether you go down or not

I was near fu..ing exhausted (the crew were green horns and new nought)and skippy decides to drops the pick an transfer to our vessel the replacement engineer from a sister ship the eighty footer attempts to go stern stern for the tranfer we were at sea level on our stern the big hooker was 2 metre to their aft deck

After inspection of the big hookers metre or so prop. -yes with the swell and about another metre closer we would have been sunk after numerous attempts the transfer was called off???

I guess it was just a coincidence but i do not sail after miday or before midnight on fridays

lyle

 

The fact it's the best night of the week in the pub does help (a little) but yeah your right. Sailing Friday plays havoc with the weekend and if tha's not enough trouble I don't know what is

Afterall as we all know, www. means Walrus Won't work Weekends!

 

Well now that I am safely secured at my new mooring after spending 2.5 days bringing my boat around from one bay to another I can say that I renamed my boat (with appropriate alcoholic christening of course) launched on a Friday and still managed to have a terrific sail with my 2 mates.

Mychael

 

Good for you Mychael, but as a Michael (don't matter how you spell yt) you must realise that Michaels have a special dispensation from God to ignore other superstitions 'coss they are so bloody lucky

Mike (the Walrus)

 

That's it (walrus) blessed by god. I must be 'cos everytime my Ex wife see's me in the street she says "Oh God" not you again. lol.
Furthermore as an added good luck bonus we saw an albatross during our short voyage (albeit a young one but an albatross nonethe less).
Mychael

 

I know that Albert Ross bloke, emails me regularly about trains or something, ensures i miss the ones that arn't running

Now how irrelavant is that?

 

No wasn't that some John Seagull guy, something about avoiding rocks or cliffs.

 

Back on track

The way things go, as I was taught....

Never speak of Horses on board. Bad luck. Call 'em fantails or "cowboy motorcycle" if you wish. it's a landlubbers animal true and sure. Though my norwegian ancestors brought them round often enough on a boat (as all you in the UK no doubt have heard tell) they were called by their names.

Never bring a woman on board who hates to sail. Mayhaps this explains the multi-divorce story a few pages back?

Dont whistle in the wheelhouse. (or the bridge for those with no wheelhouse) You'll whistle up a Westerly Wind.

Rum rum and more rum. Though most captains around here drink anything wet, rum is good luck, but the potato vodka is bad indeed.

If you have to rename a boat, rechristening it is a good idea, but the best is to make a small wooden replica and light it to a pyre on the maiden (re-)voyage

I believe the "green" lore has something to do with alge and worms being more attracted to green planks, as they already looked part rotted.

Anyways, back to my black rum.
Captain Jens Hammer

 

and sailors sayings
Mackeral skys and mares tails,
makes tall ships shorten sails
When the wind turns
Against the sun
Dont you trust her
For back she,ll run