Departing fitout dock on a Friday superstition

[Guest]

My Dad was a captain and sailed for many years. He never sailed on a Friday to begin a new season.

[Guest]

38 yr Great Lakes career.was never on a ship that waited because it was Friday.time is $. Reality says sail when ready or have the company remove you from command 😂. Maybe in the old days of sail power. Left fit out dock several yrs on a Friday.

[Guest Jon Paul]

Yes I'm familiar with the superstition and actually it originally involved departing port on any Friday. Ive been told by past shipmates that back in the day that Captains would wait for hours so they could depart after midnight on a Friday.
I believe this practice was more prevalent pre 1970's

[Guest]

Do not pass under a ladder or break a mirror or let a black cat come on board . Also make sure that there is no whisling on the bridge , it calls for wind . Oh and I forgot ; no women on board …

[Guest]

The "sail on Friday" superstition isn't limited to the fit out dock. Some sailors didn't like to sail out of any port on Friday.

There's the urban myth of HMS FRIDAY. Sometime in the 19th century, the Royal Navy attempted to finally dispel the old superstition among sailors that beginning a voyage on a Friday was certain to bring bad luck. To demonstrate the falseness of this belief, they decided to commission a ship named HMS Friday. Her keel was laid on a Friday, she was launched on a Friday, and she set sail on her maiden voyage on Friday the 13th, under the command of a Captain James Friday. She was never seen or heard from again.

Some other superstitious non-sailing days and explanations are: It was bad luck to sail on Thursdays (God of Storms, Thor’s day) or Fridays (the day Jesus was executed), the first Monday in April (the day Cain killed Abel), the second Monday in August (the day Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed), and 31 December (the day on which Judas Iscariot hanged himself).

[rcrvrp]

I have not heard of that but I would be interested to see the statistics on how many boats fitting out on other days of the week had problems.

Do sailors have a reputation for silly superstitions based on long ago myths and fears of the unknown?

[Denny]

Yes Sir I too have heard of this Superstition as well and many others have as well here on the board and forum. While this ,is off topic and subject and my apologies for that, just to compare only to the superstition. That is why I try to avoid starting my photography season out along the St. Clair River on a Friday. Take for example in 2023, I started on a Friday and I made it only 13 times far less than my 21-22 times in 2022. I also became very sick and ill as well in 2023. You can see and read more on that on the Regional Discussion Board here. That’s why I too avoid starting my year and season then on a Friday on the St. Clair River as it’s a bad superstition for me and sometimes brings bad luck and misfortunes as well to me.

[Guest]

I have heard commercial fishing vessels have a superstition about not depart for the first trip of the season on a Friday. They will wait until 12:01am on Saturday.

[Guest]

I noted that several ships departed their fit out docks yesterday on Friday 3/22. I recall several Captains and Mates expressing that if you leave the fit out dock on a Friday, the season would have bad luck. Mechanical and crew problems would occur onboard. This happened on the Calcite 2nd in early 90's when she suffered crank shaft damage and spent two weeks on the sidelines in Marysville undergoing repairs. Has anyone else heard this superstition? Thanks!