Torneyboy Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 A radio competition today. I heard the question however missed getting the answer. Why are bananas bad luck on ships? Refering to the old ships i think Captain Cook,Drake etc. Anyone know the answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 http://www.azinet.com/captjim/bananas.htm The story on bananas and bad luck There are many stories why bananas have been thought of as bad luck on boats. This is only one of the nautical superstitions that I know of and is particularly prevalent amongst watermen. Many stories have banana oil rubbing off on ones hands and ?spooking" the fish; therefore the fish don't bite. There is always the story of a crew member slipping on the banana peel left on the deck. Some say that bananas give you the runs so you are always in the marine head and can't catch fish because you are busy "draining the pipes". Many other stories are told about bad luck and bananas, however the one that I find most plausible is a historical one. Back in the days of the transatlantic crossings by wooden sailing ships many hazards would befall the captains, crew and passengers. Disease, pirates, shipwrecks, storms, etc., claimed the lives of a good percentage of the captains, crew and passengers attempting the dangerous voyage. Needless to say, a transatlantic crossing in the 17th and 18th centuries was a very risky endeavor. Often the vessels would stop along the way in tropical islands to gather provisions such as food and water. There the passengers and crew would often purchase wooden crates of bananas from the locals and bring them aboard the ship. These crates would have all manner of critters in them such as bugs, spiders, vermin and snakes. These critters would make their way into the bilges of the ships, multiply, and then find their way into the captain's quarters. The captains circulated the rumor that bananas were bad luck in an attempt to keep the critters off the ship and out of their cabin. The crew and passengers were more than eager to follow suit because of the inherent risk of the crossing. So, if the captain announced prior to the voyage that bananas were bad luck and not allowed aboard the vessel, everyone complied. You must remember that these were the days of burning witches and the like, so superstitions were taken very seriously. Watermen are a mysterious lot. While we are known for our simple pragmatism, we also have many odd quirks. Superstitions have been prevalent on almost every vessel I have worked on. I feel that this is due to the nature of a waterman in that he sees the randomness of the world around him juxtaposed with the rhythmic, seasonal flows of nature and then tries to reconcile these observations into some sort of personal and/or environmental order. As Stevie Wonder (a blind man) pointed out so eloquently: "When you believe in things you can't understand, that's superstition". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/features/0501superstitions/index1.html .... BANANAS How can nature?s perfect food be bad luck on a boat? Well it seems back when iron men sailed wooden ships, many a vessel put into tropical locales for reprovisioning, and among the foodstuffs taken on were copious amounts of bananas. In these were all sorts of bugs, spiders, and snakes which, once aboard, often lived just as happily among the victuals, bunks and bodies of the crew, and even called many a captain?s cabin home. Soon fevers and sores spread throughout the ship?s company and eventually to ports of call, including home. When the irate masters finally figured out the source of the scourges, word spread lickety-split that any form of bananas was prohibited aboard ship. To cement the edict, they deemed the fruit bad luck. Today this is all bilge water, so there?s no need to deprive yourself of nature?s perfect food aboard your boat. But if you feel the need to dispel any chance of bad mamma jamma coming your way, simply throw the peel into the water?not to worry, tree-huggers, it?ll get eaten?while balancing on your right foot. Never the left. And make sure you?ve finished the banana before tossing the peel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted November 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 Hi and thanks peter the fruit man. I was looking for a one word or two answer ...ha ha I thought maybe oil getting into the planks or something like that. Thanks again. Could have won dinner for two if i knew the answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted November 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 Ok peternana The other question i missed was: What word meaning Guilty...no longer in use...however its opposite is still in everyday use....what is this word?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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