Jackspeak – Superstitions
Long before there was a Navy, mariners were prone to believe in superstitions deemed to bring either good luck or misfortune. Superstitions still exist today, and whether they carry any veracity is simply a matter of opinion. For example, sailors tend to avoid clinking glasses in a toast as there is a superstition that when a glass rings, it tolls the death of a sailor. Thus, any ringing glass is immediately stopped. Similarly, sailors avoid toasting with water, as superstition states this will cause the person toasted to drown. To whistle up a wind was an ancient naval superstition that said whistling would cause the wind to increase. Thus, whistling is normally frowned upon in a warship, as it is thought it may bring about stormy weather. Traditionally, only ship’s cooks were allowed to whistle because if you could hear them whistling, you knew they weren’t consuming the rations. In the case of a sailing ship beset by doldrums, sticking a knife in the mast in the direction of the preferred wind was thought to bring the desired breeze. Somewhat of superstition and marked by an adage, ‘Red sky in morning - sailor’s warning. Red sky at night - sailor’s delight’ meant a red sky in the morning portended bad weather, and a red sky in the evening meant good weather was to come. Real meteorological reasons give truth to this adage, in that a red sunrise might mean a high-pressure system associated with good weather had passed to the east. A red sky at night might indicate a high-pressure front and stable air coming in from the west. Superstitions abound in the building and launching of vessels. For good luck, a new ship has a coin placed under its keel as it is laid down. In addition, a coin...
