Bananas and boats -- are they a problem

Recently, during a training swim where I had someone who has a fishing charter business act as my pilot for my first night-time swim, he told me that in general, fishing boat captains won't let you on their boats if you bring bananas. That they're super bad luck, supposedly will make the fish not bite. (shrug)

So, is this true?

Has anyone had a pilot for a long swim make a point of not permitting bananas on board?

Or,......

Is this a big sea story?

Comments

  • abbygirlroseabbygirlrose Los Angeles and Palo Alto, CASenior Member

    So I have heard several things about this:

    1. The unofficial mascot of my college swim team was the banana and when I signed up for the channel my coach made sure I knew about this but then the captain never mentioned it.

    2. I had one captain who welcomed bananas on boats because she felt that at one point in time women were told they couldn't be captains so who need to listen to old superstitions anyway.

    and
    3. I think the history of this is that bananas often harbored pests and spiders so were somewhat dangerous to have on board on long journeys... https://www.montereyboats.com/No-Bananas-on-Board--Behind-the-Superstition-1-634.html

    it also seems like part of the reason is that boats carrying bananas had to travel fast to get to a destination before the fruit spoiled and therefore caught no fish...

    LakeBagger
  • swimmer25kswimmer25k Charter Member

    Bananas are bad luck for fishermen. Just a ridiculous superstition that actually happens to be 100% correct.

  • LakeBaggerLakeBagger Central OregonSenior Member

    In general, the boat pilots I’ve worked with were way more concerned with making sure I had what I needed to get across the channel than the old banana superstition. However, if you’re in the habit of using bananas in feeds, it’s worth an ask before you hire the boat.

    Sara_Wolf
  • kejoycekejoyce New EnglandSenior Member

    Not swim related, but I spent some time on a marine research vessel. We were grocery shopping for a couple weeks offshore, and we were told we weren't allowed to get bananas! Captain was old school, I don't remember his exact reasoning but I remember it as mostly being superstition. 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • Welp!
    It sounds like it's enough of a known thing that the advice to be sure to ask is sound!
    Who would have ever known?

    And, for those who find that bananas are good gut settlers, and cramp eliminators.... what is a good substitute, in case they are truly banned on the boat I find?

  • Ok....I checked with my pilot.
    He'd never heard of the "banana thing".
    And, he likes them, too!
    So, I'm taking the 'nanas!

    LakeBaggerKatieBunOpenh2oMLambykejoyce
  • hpyswmrhpyswmr San Francisco Bay - SERCMember
    edited November 2022

    I think I which Pilot this was.. who welcomed Bananas.

    As for the reasoning.. The banana superstition dates all the way back to the 1700s or even earlier, when many lost or ill-fated ships were noted to have been carrying bananas to their destination. They would find the boat a drift with a cargo of Bananas, but the crew would be very sick and some had already pasted. Or when the crew arrived they were very sick. The theory or real reason was spiders and other deadly creatures were mixed in with the cargo thus bananas became known as omens of danger and misfortune for ships.

    Back then many boat captains didn't know the different between the world most deadly snake or a harmless snake. Many of the these deadly creatures had yet to be documented. So superstition played a big role here.

    Today when you see bananas in the market you notice they have tops wrapped and they have been inspected
    and/or treated for unwanted spiders or creatures that can cause great harm to people.

    @abbygirlrose said this.

    So I have heard several things about this:

    1. The unofficial mascot of my college swim team was the banana and when I signed up for the channel my coach made sure I knew about this but then the captain never mentioned it.

    2. I had one captain who welcomed bananas on boats because she felt that at one point in time women were told they couldn't be captains so who need to listen to old superstitions anyway.

    and
    3. I think the history of this is that bananas often harbored pests and spiders so were somewhat dangerous to have on board on long journeys... https://www.montereyboats.com/No-Bananas-on-Board--Behind-the-Superstition-1-634.html

    it also seems like part of the reason is that boats carrying bananas had to travel fast to get to a destination before the fruit spoiled and therefore caught no fish...

    Swimmersuz
  • ColmBreathnachColmBreathnach Charter Member

    I haven't heard about bananas before, but I have heard about rabbits or even uttering the word rabbit on board is supposed to bring bad luck.

    Like "The Scottish Play" I suppose.

  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    edited December 2022
  • gregorywannabegregorywannabe Senior Member

    Pretty sure the banana thing goes back to sailing ships that travelled for months on end and would stock up on many food items including fruit (including bananas). Bananas give off ethylene that ripens and spoils the other fruit so they were excluded after this was eventually realised.

    LakeBagger
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