Banana Bad luck???

[Silent]

Interesting notes people telling "banana have been considered taboo on sailing and fishing boats, and became associated with bad luck. Therefore it is forbidden to have bananas on board"

Seen on Coast & Creek this avro - Taryn was board on Haines Signature 493RF at Bribie Island & Tried luck on crabbing - Nil cos she bought banana!:-X

Another story I know one of my mate who chasing black offshore for hours and Nil, discover his new deckie peeled banana on his boat and he know who to blame...::)

Love to hear your story to share or believe the Myth's banana or Load of rubbish::)

[NAGG]

Day 3 @ Awoonga last month ..... I had to buy some more sunblock! .... That afternoon , I was outfished 9- 2:'(
You guessed it ! ..... Banana boat:(

Got rid of it:) ........

Next day 4-0 ..... My way:)

No more banana boat on my boat!!!!

Nagg

[mangomick]

Dont think its been bad luck for boaties since they found out how to keep borers out of the bunches of bananas they were hauling.
Funny how myths get started::)

[Steve B]

I was told the reason behind 'banana = bad luck" came from the old days when they sailed around the world. Sailors would stock up on pre ripe fruit which would slowly ripen through the journey thus lasting longer on the journey. Bananas, if placed near other fruit will cause the fruit to ripen way quicker then go off quicker..hence the dislike for bananas on boats......this is what I was told....it may not be right but it sounds feasable.

I dont totally beleive the myth it's bad for fishing....I still wont have a banana in the boat just in case!!

I was a non boater in an ABT once, the boater asked if I had any bananas before I climbed in!! he was serious!!;D

cheers steve

[NAGG]

I cant remember the actual myth ....... but it was feasible ( actually lead to boats capsizing .... due to overloading)

Nagg

PS .... The other was to do with spiders & other bities that were contained with the nanas ( sounds a bit like the trees at Monduran::) )

[Leighton]

Read on another Forum the reason behind bananas, during the slave trade days Slaves from Africa were loaded into the Hulls of timber boats and only given bananas to eat during there weeks of sailing. The combination of banana peel and body fluids resulted in rotting of the hulls.
I did a charter off the Goldie, before departing the Skipper asked each of us if we had any bananas.
No bananas on my boat, no banana cake or Banana in poppers

[Apollo]

I was told this many years ago and can relate that the only two times I have had mishaps at sea (one dismasting and and another near sinking), have been when someone brought a banana or banana cake aboard. I now ask the banana question. Most of the trawl guys I know are religious about it.

I have heard several theories about it origin, but don't know which is right.

[Silent]

Day 3 @ Awoonga last month ..... I had to buy some more sunblock! .... That afternoon , I was outfished 9- 2:'(
You guessed it ! ..... Banana boat:(

Got rid of it:) ........

Next day 4-0 ..... My way:)

No more banana boat on my boat!!!!

Nagg
Funny thing is banana boat sunblock is my favourite and always leave in my seawasp ever its also banana coloured...Once my workmate was mocked me he'll bring banana smoothie and I say "Ok no worries becuase my boat is full of banana colour" fortunately he picked his biggest Mud snapper (70cm) see my report in estudry/bay section

[youngy]

Haven't eaten a banana in 17 years that is when i started fishing seriosly, my story is i fished with a mate in a gutter on strady one night when we got there in the afternoon he opened his esky and had a BUNCH of bananas in it so i told him of the superstition, he ate them all straight away to get rid of them that night i caught 25 bream he caught 0, i will never eat another one ever. Banana cake is ok it tastes to good to be bad luck. cheers wayne.

[Silent]

I did a charter off the Goldie, before departing the Skipper asked each of us if we had any bananas.
No bananas on my boat, no banana cake or Banana in poppers
Wow he must be totally serious but should give his customers a good fish haul::)

[bluefin59]

I am the same as captain stabbin no bananas ,no banana cake ,no banana boat nothing to do with them on my boat either ,i know its superstisious garbage but i will just live with that ...matt

[DR]

i don't catch fish because i am hopeless,;D at least i am honest.. i don't need the 'bananas are bad luck excuse':-/
'the sky is falling' 'the sky is falling';D;D;D;D

i cannot believe that in the 21st century that supposedly educated & civilised people believe this sort of superstition.. might be just me:-[

[Oh Gee]

Are bananas bad luck in a boat. In a word YES.

g

[BrewGuru]

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.

[Peter4]

Sorry guys, but this is absolute bloody nonsense IMHO.

I often take bananas aboard my boat and - surprise, surprise - there is no difference in fishing results!

Are you scared of black cats and ladders too?

Regs

Pete

[coucho]

Call myth busters
Honestly I never heard of this one before.

[Dirtysanchez]

I went on a charter off Airlie beach once, and we didn't catch much, a couple of cod, a maori wrasse at 4kg which went back, and the skipper was cursing and carrying on how 'unusual' it was to not catch more. ON the way back in the decky was cleaning up and he started screaming because there was a banana skin in the bin, apparently someone came on board with one in their bag and ate it.

The skipper was furious and was accusing people and eventually declared that we could all blame the bad fishing on whoever it was who brought the banana on board. I just reckon he didn't put us on any decent spots.

[therapy]

I wasn't aware of the banana theory until I went to take a mate from work fishing early one morning. Being a late decision I didn't do my normal pre trip start up of the motor and of course when we got to the ramp...no igniton!! My mate then said it was probably because he brought a banana along (besides the fact he is known as the curse!!). Back at home with the cowling off and parked on the footpath a bloke and his son stopped for a chat and when I told him what happened he asked if we had any bananas on board!! WTF!! He explained that it went back to when bananas were like gold and boats used to overload with them and often capsize..Mmmmmm.. no more bananas on my boat now!!

[kingtin]

I don't allow any bananas on my boat. This is because I once swapped a member of the crew a banana for an apple. I ate the apple, choked on a pip and died. He meanwhile, had eaten the banana just in time to see me lying inert on the deck. He commenced mouth to mouth and I revived just in time to see my best rod and reel disappear over the side. As I lunged to save it, I knocked the filleting knife off the bait board and it landed, point down on my deckies foot, chopping off three of her toes. Whilst she was hopping around on one foot, she bumped into a crew member who fell over the side ripping his goolies on a cleat as he went. The blood attracted a couple of grey suits which resulted in the other crew attempting to smash them on the snout with some oars, to no avail. In the melle, one of the oar handles made contact with my right hand, knocking my can of bundy and cola into the drink.

Motto; No bananas on board..................that Bundy is too dear to waste!

kev

[NAGG]

Sorry guys, but this is absolute bloody nonsense IMHO.

I often take bananas aboard my boat and - surprise, surprise - there is no difference in fishing results!

Are you scared of black cats and ladders too?

Regs

Pete

Only after I tried to chase a black cat away from peeing in the boat , slipped on a banana skin & cracked my head on the ladder!;D

Nagg

[kingtin]

Only after I tried to chase a black cat away from peeing in the boat , slipped on a banana skin & cracked my head on the ladder!;D

Nagg

Hope you landed on the cat :P...............excellent crab bait! ;D

kev

[snasman]

Will never have one on my boat ,and do ask the question b4 heading out.

Kingtin youve lead such an adventurious life.

[kingtin]

Will never have one on my boat ,and do ask the question b4 heading out.

Kingtin youve lead such an adventurious life.

Lucky bugger ain't I? ;D

kev

[Silent]

Call myth busters
Honestly I never heard of this one before.
Gotta love to see Adam & Jamie to experiment the banana myth...
I would not dare to experiment myself maybe it would curse my fishing habit;D

[Dr_Dan]

I'm not at all superstitious, until it comes to fishing and sport!
I'll always tell people that they aren't allowed bananas on the boat. Get some funny looks, but dammit, i need all the help that i can get.

[Louis]

I agree Pete.

It's all a lot of Bah Humbug.


Louis

[gunna]

Its a load of codswallop. No such thing as bad luck. Though Kingtin's story makes me wonder.

[BrewGuru]

Titanic's maiden voyage on April 10 1912 from London to New york had on board as a apart of its cargo 14 pallets of banana's delivered from the deepest part of the darkest Congo, 11 pallets of banana's were of the Lady finger variety reserved for the high class rollers on board, the other 3 pallets were for the lower class in steerage.
In accordance with the Banana growers Co - op of the Congo, To keep bananas fresh on the vessel they should be kept in a cool dark place, preferably starboard side, below the water line.
As any historian or Titanic fan would know this is exactly the same compartments that the infamous Iceburg ripped opened on the doomed ship, kooky eh?

[tigermullet]

What say all that potassium in the banana cargo got converted to potassium nitrate, got a shock, and went kaboom?

Big hole gets ripped in the Titanic and the ice berg gets a lot of undeserved, bad press.

No?

I gotta stop smoking this stuff.

[Cammy]

Sorry guys, but this is absolute bloody nonsense IMHO.

I often take bananas aboard my boat and - surprise, surprise - there is no difference in fishing results!

Are you scared of black cats and ladders too?

Regs

Pete

dont forget about opening an umbrella inside:P

Cammo

[kingtin]

What say all that potassium in the banana cargo got converted to potassium nitrate, got a shock, and went kaboom?

Big hole gets ripped in the Titanic and the ice berg gets a lot of undeserved, bad press.

No?

I gotta stop smoking this stuff.

What...............banana skins?.................they call it mellow yellow (as Donovan sang) ;D


Electrical banana
Is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical banana
Is bound to be the very next phase

They call it mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow
(Quite rightly)
They call me mellow yellow


kev

[tigermullet]

Would it be any good, do you think? At least, bananas cannot be grown hydroponically as far as I know. Which isn't much because I am not into gardening or any other farming activities, especially if it involves animals because, generally, they are very messy and most of them like to bite and kick.

I do know that certain crops, when grown using hydroponic methods, produce nice plump flower heads but that is about all - just show and no substance if you get what I mean.

I dunno about that Donovan bloke. Was he from the sixties? I was there but it is all a bit hazy. Anyway, he must have been really strange if he was drying out banana skins. I should ask my wife. She was there too but was always ultra straight and very critical of certain types of behaviour. So, if he was a bit 'off' she will know about it for sure because she never lets me forget and keeps mentioning Jesus who, I understand, was some bloke with long hair who used to hang out with the Pope a long time ago and did miracles and spoke of mysterious things. Well, hinted at them really without giving you the real low down in any terms that I can understand.

They must have had some pretty good stuff back then too.

[BrewGuru]

Its gotta be a fruit thing, Cherry Venture finished up anchored at Fraser for a longer time than planned.
Then again it might of been netting Banana Prawns.

[Breambuster33]

i thought it was the colour green that was bad luck

[Breambuster33]

Only after I tried to chase a black cat away from peeing in the boat , slipped on a banana skin & cracked my head on the ladder!;D

Nagg


ahaha well that explains it well and truly....

[whiting-wizard]

aahaha lol the colour yellow is bad luck to me

[Xahn1960]

I see Ausfish stuck a " time warp button " on the new server :)
Sounds more like 1408 than 2008 on this thread :) :) I think maybe some people just need a scapegoat for a bad trip, blame it on the banana?? why not :)

Bill.

[Whitto]

There is absolutely no truth that Bananas are bad luck on board>:(, Next thing you guys will be telling me that Santa and the Easter Bunny are not true, Cheers Whitto;D PS What about the blokes that chase Banana Prawns, they have to be worried;D

[Oh Gee]

I thought the Cherry Venture was near Double Islant Point... Mahino,Stirling Castle,Marloo plus others on Fraser.

[BrewGuru]

The Evils of the Banana
http://www.failedsuccess.com/images/superstition4.jpgBananas are a mainstay of most cultures and are the world’s most popular fruit. However, these deliciously yellow treats have no place at sea. Since the 1700’s, it has been widely believed that having a banana on board was an omen of disaster.
In the early 1700’s, during the height of the Spanish’s South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, it was observed that nearly every ship that disappeared at sea and did not make its destination was carrying a cargo of bananas. This gave rise to the belief that hauling bananas was a dangerous prospect. There are other documented origins to this superstition as well.
Another explanation for the banana superstition is that the fastest sailing ships used to carry bananas from the tropics to U.S. ports along the East Coast to land the bananas before they could spoil,” Chahoc said. “The banana boats were so fast that fishermen never caught anything while trolling for fish from them, and that’s where the superstition got started.
Another theory is that bananas carried aboard slave ships fermented and gave off methane gas, which would be trapped below deck. Anyone in the hold, including cargoes of imprisoned humanity, would succumb to the poisoned air, and anyone trying to climb down into the hold to help them would fall prey to the dangerous gas.
And finally, one of the better known dangers of bananas at sea, is that a species of spider with a lethal bite likes to hide in bunches of bananas. Crewmen suddenly dying of spider bites after bananas are brought aboard certainly would be considered a bad omen resulting in the cargo being tossed into the sea.
Any of these scenarios could be the reason behind fishermen’s mistrust of the yellow fruit, possibly all of them. Whatever the case may be, it is best that you don’t attempt to bring any bananas on board your next seafaring excursion, just to be safe.
Read more about the Banana superstitions. (http://www.newsobserver.com/122/story/389886.html)

[sandbankmagnet]

what about towing one of those inflateable bananas?

[Ozwald]

Absolute bunkum.....
Check out the Fishing Show's Wanganella Banks DVD - Matt catches a striped marlin on a homemade lure consisting of a film canister and banana skin!
The aftermath of the giant squid attack is pretty awsome too.
Oz

[TimiBoy]

I reckon given the amount of effort I put in and the bags I don't fill, it must be the banana the guy was eating when the glass was being laid!

I am truly buggered!

But really, I think I'm getting close, as the knowledge bank keeps filling up....

I do not, however, allow bananas on my boat, as someone else pointed out - JUST IN CASE!

[reel scream]

And there is to be no whistling into the wind- it makes it stronger.

And from the roughy days with a Kiwi skipper- Not allowed to mention rabbits and not allowed to sail on a friday.

Cheers Scott

[Rosie M]

:) Hello everyone,
I have had a glance at the facts of bad luck & banana's on boats, for all those who believe:-/ or not, (and I know I'm re-hashing old ground), but is this a luck based on a belief system (superstition) or is it critical mass?
Rosie:)

[Dick Pasfield]

A true story (at least it was when I made it up;))

Once there was a great Roman General named Mackerelus Maulus who as well as being very good at disposing of Caesar’s enemies was a fisherman of great renown. Mackerelus was as innovative in fishing as he was in war. Rather than using nets or baited lines for grouper and such he would ply the seas trailing jewel-like baubles holding hooks behind the boat. Only the fastest and strongest fish would be capable of catching these ‘lures’ and Mackerelus would battle them from his galley that had been greatly modified at the stern for his fixation.

The General soon realised that speed was an important factor in attracting the largest fish so his galley slaves were the fittest and strongest of the entire fleet. One day after dealing some of Caesar’s retribution to the Carthage fleet he decided to fish a convenient current line not far from the carnage.

Soon he had a nice pattern spread across his wake, he had just started to doze when the left outrigger let go. Mackerelus bolted for the chair as the ratchet on his Maxamillionaire screamed. The fight was short and disappointing, instead of a silver fish he had jagged a fat old shaman that had been on one of the boats he had sunk less that an hour ago.

He was about to cut the line to the hapless soul when the quick thinking shaman recognised whom had caught him. He called his name and begged to be spared, saying that he knew a secret way to gain more speed from his rowers. (Mackerelus’s yearning for faster rowers was well known across the Mediterranean). Curiosity got the better of the General and he dragged the man aboard to gain his secret.

The shaman told Mackerelus about a little known fruit that grew in a far off land that gave the strength of ten men to those who ate only them. The General immediately provisioned a ship and sent it off to bring back the plant. The plants were propagated in a secret garden outside Rome and the small yellow pieces of fruit fed to the rowers with outstanding results.

One year later the general’s ship had moved like it had wings. Mackerelus now regularly battled the fastest and mightiest fish of the sea. Presenting the rarest flesh to his Emperor and court. His fame known across the empire. A select group of rowers were now supervised by the shaman whom was personally responsible for their diet; they were all colossuses amongst normal men.

It was about this time that the Cathaginian’s had stepped up their campaign of looting Rome’s supply lines. This had cut considerably into the General’s fishing time making him a rather testy individual. He decided that the raids had gone far enough so planned a bold attack at the enemy’s heart. He gathered his ships and headed off to the City port of Carthage to catch then unawares.

Unfortunately for Mackerelus a keen sighted sentry caught sight of his fleet and warned the enemy General who barely had enough time to put to sea and sail out to meet the Romans.
Now Mackerelus who had fed his rowers an extra ration of the fruit prior to leaving was several leagues ahead of his main fleet. When he saw the enemy sailing out to meet him he recklessly ordered the attack forgetting his distance from the main Roman fleet.

The enemy watched in amazement the single ship bearing down on them at incredible speed. One by one the Carthaginian ships fell to the General’s boat as it flew amongst them. The General’s luck finally ran out as by weight of numbers his ship was overwhelmed and sunk with all on board lost.
The Roman fleet now leaderless also fell. Within a year the Rome was conquered and the empire destroyed. The Greek alchemists who were only one simple step away from discovering the secret of nuclear fusion were all killed along with a similar group that had found a simple herb that increased human longevity and health many fold.



That is how we came to the present day and why bananas are seen as the unluckiest fruit you can take on a boat.

[mattooty]

You be the judge...

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Mattooty/P4060018.jpg

[TimiBoy]

Dick,

You are quite, quite mad. I'm sure there are some historical (hysterical?) inaccuracies in your story, but I was never one to let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.

[Dick Pasfield]

Dick,

You are quite, quite mad. I'm sure there are some historical (hysterical?) inaccuracies in your story, but I was never one to let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.
Yes you found me out, Maxamillionaire reels never had ratchets:(

[kingtin]

Although you are grammatically correct Dick, I prefer colossi to colossuses ;-)

kev

[Dick Pasfield]

colossi


The word of the day!!;D


you can stride the world with one or pour cheese sauce on it;)

[mangomick]

Dick,
Sorry mate but you've got to stop drying out those skins and smoking them:-[

[tigermullet]

So, this "Banana" thread is still going.

And there was me, fascinated by what I thought was a well written piece of research by a history buff, only to realize that Dick Pasfield is seriously bent and in urgent need of counselling to rein in a weird imagination.

With a sense of humour like that he need never apply for a position within the Public Service. It would never work or, if it did, he would be totally insane in less than a year.;D

[Hot_Snappa]

How many times has this "rubbish" about bananas gotta do the rounds?
Give us all a break!

[kingtin]

With a sense of humour like that he need never apply for a position within the Public Service.

;D

I thought that sort of humour (aka weirdness) would well qualify him for a position in the public sector..............Qld Health Services springs to mind.............particularly the Mental section ;) :P ;D

kev

[Rocket01]

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".

[TimiBoy]

Watermen are a mysterious lot. While we are known for our simple pragmatism, we also have many odd quirks.


Bah! While I am a pragmatist, I take issue with the idea that my many quirks are odd!;D

[Ninja]

This one didn't mind a feed of bananas::) .

[ifishcq1]

You be the judge...

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Mattooty/P4060018.jpg Dude where is your boat

Scott

[Rocket01]

Dude where is your boat

Scott
It sunk, just after opening the banana:D :D

[mattooty]

Landbased mate. Easy as, short stroll to the rocks, usually hooked up to a longtail within 10 minutes of the bait in the water during the season.
Mindyou some days it took us almost half hour to get a bait
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Mattooty/Stromlet069-1.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Mattooty/Stromlet0701.jpg

[ifishcq1]

You do good work, where do you fish ?

SL