superstitions

[ian avery]

Hi, I was on a bulk carrier around Cape Town in the early 70s, it was on a Friday that a albatross landed on our ship. We'll the superstition at the time was, (as far I known) that if a albatross lands on a Friday on your ship you will hit real bad weather. Sure enough we had the full Cape rollers and just to top that the anchor came loose and the engine broke down. Bloody albatross! (that is a true story, but maybe not the Friday bit)

[happy daze john in oz]

Thankfully touch wood I am not supersticious.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi, I was on a bulk carrier around Cape Town in the early 70s, it was on a Friday that a albatross landed on our ship. We'll the superstition at the time was, (as far I known) that if a albatross lands on a Friday on your ship you will hit real bad weather. Sure enough we had the full Cape rollers and just to top that the anchor came loose and the engine broke down. Bloody albatross! (that is a true story, but maybe not the Friday bit)

Ian
Do not dispute the Story mate but those Cape Rollers are most always bleedin rough, i have never been Sea Sick but those Rollers were the nearest i did come to Hurling! But i was AOK!
They have taken many a Ship to the Bottom.
Cheers

[ian avery]

Just a note to the albatross story, that ship was a bit jinxed, (mv orenda Bridge) when anchor came loose the old man asked for volunteers to go and secure it. No one came forward, he tried to go himself and nearly got washed overboard. Lucky for us, the anchor was OK until we got to Port. Never got any sleep that night, I and rest of crew had our life jackets on until engine restarted. The engine was built where I come from Sunderland. (Doxford engine) Alway give the engineering lads trouble. It was so big I was inside it cleaning the scavenger out. (only cos it was extra money) I was going to donate some money to the site, but don't use PayPal.

[John Arton]

I was always told that killing an albatross at sea would bring you had luck but in the diary of a 16 year old Liverpool girl I have that went round cape horn on her father's sailing ship she recorded the crew catching, killing and eating albatross and the ship arrived in San Francisco safely, though one crew member died when he fell from the mast and was washed overboard in a storm. A newspaper report on the ships arrival said the master had a low opinion of the quality of the crew.
Rgds
J.A.

[vic mcclymont]

According to the registers there are two ships named Friday,

1)Built, 1898 Rochester for The Burham Brick & Lime Co. Ltd., 7 Nicholas Lane London., 146 tons and 18nhp engine. 1900 Converted to Spiritsail. Deleted from L.R. 1940.
2) Built, Winnipeg 1911, for he Minister of Public Works, for the Dominion of Canada. 51.8 x 13.8 x 6.0 feet. 26nhp. Register closed 1951.
Vic

[Tony Taylor]

#15
I was superstitious, whenever I joined a ship, if the guy I was relieving said it was a great job, no field days, I knew I was in for a rough ride.

[Captain Kong]

Not paying your lady of the night is also considered bad luck.

On the Good Hope Castle, Springbok Line of Cape Town, in 1959,we were home ward bound from East Africa and called in at Barcelona,
on the last night there Ted was broke but his young lady, who he had known for a long time from previous voyages said it was OK , get a sub tomorrow, Ted got a sub and went to look for her but couldnt find her, we were sailing that afternoon so he ended up with his sub intact.
In the Bay of Biscay we had a terrible storm,
800 barrels of cotton oil on deck carried away their lashings and were bouncing everywhere, Captain shouting for all hands on the fore deck to lash them down.
Huge seas smashing across the deck, many barrels had burst, oil everywhere. very slippy and dangerous. waistwait deep in swirling waves crashing over us. an impossible task, Then Fred was washed overboard, and disapeared, we`ve lost him, The worst seas I have ever seen, impossible to lash eny down then Fred appeared on the boat deck, blood running down his face. Another sea had washed him back on board on the after deck.
We all packed in then and we lost the entire cargo.
Off to the accommodation to shower and change.
The Captain came down to the mess room and screamed,
"WHO DIDNT PAY THEIR WHORE IN BARCELONA"?
Ted said, "Me"
Captain, face bright red with Rage, close to Ted`s face., shouts,
NEXT TIME PAY THE BITCH, ALL THIS IS YOUR FAULT,"" and stormed out of the Mess.

Evidently, it is bad luck and you get severe stormy weather if you fail to pay the lady for her favours.
Brian

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I couldn't give stuff what day or date it was if I was broke I was glad to sail.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Brian, it can be even worse if you pay the lady for her favours and she gives you a present.

Vernon, bloody Cape Rollers, cause more problems than you can poke a stick at.
Never seen a sea look so flat yet be so rough.