Should you Placate Neptune ?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

For me....No thanks!….. and may your gods go with you!

We should never forget that Socrates was condemned to death for "Neglect of the Gods," a capital crime in his day.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Bash

We should never forget that Socrates was condemned to death for "Neglect of the Gods," a capital crime in his day.

"I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live. "
Socrates

[JayCall]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned one of the oldest saiing traditions-you should never sail with a woman on board! I, for one, will never follow that tradition. Although my wife says it is ok to sail without a man on board!

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by NYCSavage

So your saying you have never done a naming ceremony? Never (intentionally) stepped foot onboard a vessel with your right foot first? Do you have no supertitions at all? lol

In all honesty… once I began to analyze it's purpose...... No!

When as a student I studied the power of placebos I realized superstitions were a double edged sword.

The main driving forces behind superstition are ignorance and fear of the unknown or unpredictable. Superstitious beliefs give us the illusion of control over events that we don't understand. With our superstitious beliefs and practices, we try to control things that aren't even known to be controllable.

For me, that became a mindset I have tried very hard to avoid.

[MichaelC]

Hey, Conrad, if you simply change the language without changing the name, you are okay, right? A Rizzo's Dolphin [porpoise] is a grampus, etc. .... And are these superstitions? Are all beliefs superstition? And are all ceremonies the result of superstition? I think not. None of these infringe on seamanship.

[SaucySailoress]

Having establiched (I think) that the omnipotent power of the Sea Gods are not to be taken lightly - what should one do when crossing the equator? We have heard different things - from dousing oneself in mushy peas (yuk), offering chocolate (never gonna happen), pouring cranberry juice (blood) into the sea....

I'm interested to hear what other offerings have been made!

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by NYCSavage

So your saying you have never done a naming ceremony? Never (intentionally) stepped foot onboard a vessel with your right foot first? Do you have no supertitions at all? lol

What???? This is a new one on me. Is it true? Where does it come from?

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by Bash

Line-crossing ceremony - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

like I said, a nice haiku, ring the bell.
no objections to rum, of course, especially if we're allowed to substitute scotch.

I'd never waste a single malt by pouring it into the sea. Rum will do fine.

[nigel1]

Originally Posted by Aaza Dana

Having establiched (I think) that the omnipotent power of the Sea Gods are not to be taken lightly - what should one do when crossing the equator? We have heard different things - from dousing oneself in mushy peas (yuk), offering chocolate (never gonna happen), pouring cranberry juice (blood) into the sea....

I'm interested to hear what other offerings have been made!

I was 16 when I crossed the line on a genaral cargo ship, I was stripped, head shaved, painted in stockholm tar and then immersed in a 40 gallon drum containing the previous weeks galley slops. Thankfully, this ceremony only has to be endured once, and I a received a nice certificate from King Nep to prove it, and that he promised that all manner of whales, dolphins and mermaids would come to my aid if I fell overboard.
I would imagine that in todays PC world, I would be hung out to dry if I put young sailors through this ceremony

[NYCSavage]

Originally Posted by Aaza Dana

What???? This is a new one on me. Is it true? Where does it come from?

Old British Navy legend that says anytime you step on board, you always lead with your right foot.....I still do it now and I left the navy 14 years ago! I also do it when climbing stairs, and even when I step on a kerb!

I cant remember why though, will have to look it up.....

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Joking aside, I find this whole placating gods stuff silly and in retrospect, counterproductive to good seamanship.

While it might have a romantic and traditional attraction to give us mere mortals the added conviction to sail beyond the horizon…. those sailors who have been know to cloud their thinking with tradition, tend to rate poorly when called to think outside the box in an emergency.

So my argument is that it does in fact “hurt”, because somewhere in the back of that placating mind….. a door has been closed on that final surge of survival instinct and determination…… because at that critical point…. the gods are seen to have taken over.




For me....No thanks!….. and may your gods go with you!

Hmmm. A serious reply to a thread that mostly seems to be focused on humor.

Well to reply in the same tone, first I doubt whether any of the posters on this thread truly believe in Neptune or indeed in any superstitions, maritime or otherwise. After all, the thread is in the section "recreation, entertainment & fun".

Even if there was some nagging doubt in the back of someones mind, to extrapolate from there that this would lead to a fatalistic acceptance of ones fate and giving up on attempts to survival seems to me a really big leap. Following this same logic, you could also say that any religious beliefs would lead to the same result. I think that evidence and history clearly demonstrate otherwise.

[Beersmith]

When I crack my first beer on a voyage, I always make sure to feed one to Neptune for thanks and good luck.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Even if there was some nagging doubt in the back of someones mind, to extrapolate from there that this would lead to a fatalistic acceptance of ones fate and giving up on attempts to survival seems to me a really big leap. Following this same logic, you could also say that any religious beliefs would lead to the same result. I think that evidence and history clearly demonstrate otherwise.

You are correct skipmac.... did not notice that this thread was strictly for entertainment so I will not comment on your logic...... fair winds

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

You are correct skipmac.... did not notice that this thread was strictly for entertainment so I will not comment on your logic...... fair winds

Well at the end of the day, isn't cruising all about entertainment?

And fair winds to you as well. Keep the clean side up and the dirty side down.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by NYCSavage

Old British Navy legend that says anytime you step on board, you always lead with your right foot...

Interesting.
As far as I know, unless commanded otherwise (right step), American & Canadian military manuals require stepping out with the left foot.