The Snake on superstitions

Our correspondent unravels the taboos - from bunny rabbits to bananas and perverse christening ceremonies

Sailing has a long and complicated tradition of taboo and superstition that continues to flourish in our modern, secular and temporal society. Since man first climbed onto a log and floated across a lake, fear of the sea and a respect for her powers has dominated any endeavours to venture across its surface.

Sailing superstitions differ between countries and cultures, though many are universal. Changing the name of a boat, for example, is considered highly unlucky worldwide. Whistling at sea can court disaster in most cultures and beginning a voyage on Friday guarantees calamity for sailors around the globe. Maritime superstitions are taken extremely seriously and are rarely ridiculed or scoffed at; a custom exemplified during the 2003 Jules Verne Trophy attempt by Geronimo. The trimaran’s skipper, Olivier de Kersauson, chose to leave port for the record attempt in the early hours of Saturday morning, rather than tempt fate by leaving on Friday although the weather conditions were perfect and the yacht was fully prepared.

The roots of many taboos and traditions are obscure, forgotten or inexplicable, but some have recognisable classical or pagan derivations. The seemingly harmless tradition of baptising a new vessel by smashing a bottle of champagne over her bow stems from the disturbing Ancient Greek custom of dragging a newly launched galley down a slipway covered in chained and bound slaves, washing the keel in blood from the crushed bodies. The Vikings continued this cruel theme and would celebrate a launch by executing prisoners (or quite possibly any non-sailor loitering nearby) on the new longboat’s deck. Today’s innocuous ceremony, nonetheless, is still fraught with superstition and should the champagne bottle fail to burst on the first swing, many sailors will wring their hands and crack their knuckles in agitation while muttering about cursed ships. In France they sidestep this issue merely pouring some champagne on to the deck thereby saving enough to quench the thirst of the mayor, Monsieur Chapelle from the boulangerie, his wife and other assembled dignitaries.

Were a prize to be awarded for the imagination and diversity of sailing superstitions the accolade would forever remain in The Mediterranean; the true cradle of sailing. There follows a brief guide through the pitfalls and complexities of sailing on Spanish, Italian and French boats:

The Spanish place great importance upon appearance and should anyone step on deck having dressed carelessly with a shirt, jacket or trousers inside out or back to front, pandemonium is likely to occur resulting in the offending piece of clothing being thrown hastily overboard, often while it is still being worn. Italians have a fine fashion sense and will not allow any green clothing to be carried on a yacht and umbrellas are considered harbingers of doom. It seems that in Italy the colour green is generally avoided as pears are frequently forbidden on yachts (on British boats bananas are sometimes taboo).

A uniquely Spanish superstition involves the Argentine sailor, Vito Dumas (1900-65), the first man to circumnavigate the globe single-handed westabout via Cape Horn, with three stopovers. The mention of his name or the presence of a book by Dumas on a yacht is very unlucky. Originally from Italy, Vito Dumas settled outside Buenos Aires as a cattle farmer before becoming the first man to sail singlehanded around the world against the prevailing winds. He was possibly one of the most disaster prone sailors ever to put to sea and the books on his solo sailing adventures are harrowing tales of starvation, malnutrition, slicing putrid flesh from his limbs, being charged by whales and hallucinating that stowaways were plotting to steal his cigarettes.

The Spanish also believe that to be overtaken by another boat is a bad omen, thus making leaving a busy marina in Spain an exhilarating experience. In Italy, though, complications start before leaving the dock. When refitting a boat in Italy it is considered risky to replace the tillers and on the marina pontoons before an important race it is likely that many male crewmembers will be clutching their crotch and scratching in an attempt to ward off evil. On these occasions female crewmembers are accompanied by their husbands or boyfriends who must provide the appropriate anatomical equipment. While Italians agree that departing on a Friday is out of the question, Tuesday is also a bit of a gamble.

On this podium of phobia the French take first place for the sheer complexity and ingenuity of their superstitions. Sailing a French boat is subject to an abundance of constricting taboos that have forced the creation of some highly inventive rituals. Buying a used boat with an inappropriate, ugly or unpleasant name is distressing for the French when a change could augur catastrophe…..except on 15th August. Should this date be used for a re-christening, specific rituals should be observed immediately. The renamed boat must sail upwind performing a series of short tacks making a zig-zag pattern before turning around and sailing straight downwind over the route; signifying a snake eating its tail. As an added precaution it is always wise to involve a priest and arrange for the boat to be blessed, but DO NOT let him set foot on board.

In France whistling is a tricky issue and while in Britain whistling and scratching the mast can summon wind when becalmed, this habit is discouraged south of The Channel. The ancient French warning to the gabier, sitting as lookout in the crow’s nest of a square rigged ship runs: “Siffle gabier, siffle pour appeler le vent, mais aussitôt le vent venu, gabier ne siffle plus!” (whistle gabier, whistle to call for the wind, but when it arrives, whistle no more).

The most rigorously obeyed superstition on any French boat involves rabbits. The aversion to this animal can result in a farmhouse pâté that may possibly contain rabbit meat being tossed over the side followed by anything showing a picture of the detested creature and any books on suspect, woodland topics. The very mention of rabbits on, or near, a French boat can have dire consequences. If a crewmember becomes overpowered by an urge to discuss the despised beast a number of pseudonyms may be used without invoking any sinister phenomena; “le gris-gris” (the grey one), “le cousin du lièvre” (the hare’s cousin) and “le mouton a cinq pattes” (the ram with five legs).

This antagonism was taken to extremes during an unfortunate incident in the Indian Ocean’s high latitudes. While competing in the successful 2002 Jules Verne Trophy record attempt, a message was sent from catamaran Orange stating that the only non-French crewmember on board had been dropped off on the barren island of Kerguelen. Frantic questions flew through the ether from race control requesting further details, whereupon it transpired that the hapless Australian crewmember, Nick Moloney, had committed a massive breach of protocol while Orange was sailing through iceberg infested waters. His crime was to observe that one of the bergs looked “a bit like a rabbit,” causing the horrified helmsman to crash gybe the catamaran. This merited Moloney’s instant marooning at Latitude 50° S. The date of this draconian punishment was 1st April.

Many of these superstitions evolved in an era when Mediterranean sailors voyaged across the unexplored waters of the planet in the name of God, glory and gold. Taboos, superstitions and ritual gave some order to the fear and mystery, offering an illusory safeguard against the unknown. Perhaps such outdated, sixteenth century ideology has no place on a modern racing yacht bristling with satellite technology? However, many solo and fully crewed racing yachtsmen still face extreme levels of danger and an experienced sailor will always admit that disaster is closest when complacency and carelessness creep aboard. Superstitions, even at their most absurd, serve as a constant reminder that man is fallible, boats are fragile and “The sea never changes and its works, for all the talk of men, are wrapped in mystery.” (Joseph Conrad)

If you know of any other bizarre maritime superstitions or anecdotes about them - please send them in by emailling us here .