Sailing Superstitions

Sailing has been around for thousands of years. On boats, there are bound to be accidents, storms, and tragedies so it's only a given that these unusual superstitions exist. These are ten of the most unusual superstitions, some which are severely outdated.

1. Whistling On Board Is A Big No: Sailors have long believed that whistling or singing into the wind will bring a storm.
2. The Shark: A shark following the ship is a sign of unavoidable death.
3. No Gingers Allowed: Gingers were thought to bring bad luck to a ship if you happened to meet one before boarding the ship. But if you talked to one before they talked to you-you were saved.
4. Eat your Banana Somewhere Else: Bananas have been associated bring bad luck on ships, since the 1700s when most of the ships that disappeared were carrying bananas as cargo.
5. Egg shells: Eggshells had to be broken into tiny pieces once an egg was used. This meant to prevent witches from coming to the ship to sail in the pieces of shell.
6. No Women: Women were bad luck on board because they were considered a distraction to the crew, which would anger the sea. Conveniently, naked women had the opposite effect, calming the sea, which is why so many figureheads were women with bare breasts.
7. No Grooming: Anyone who trimmed their nails, cut their hair or shaved their beard on ship brought bad luck to the ship.
8. Feet: Flat-footed people were unlucky on board a ship, and were also avoided by sailors before they boarded just like Gingers.
9. Don't Save a Drowning Person: Sailors believed that if someone was saved from drowning, the ocean would follow them until they swallowed them bringing the crew and ship along.
10.  Green: Sailors thought that painting a boat green would ensure it would run aground.