To bring a banana or not to bring a banana, that is the question.
For some fishermen, having a banana on board is an absolute no-no. Bananas take the blame for fishing outcomes, mechanical issues, bad weather, and any other unlucky situations on board.
Many fishermen will include in their list: Banana chips, banana flavored candy, beverages, banana muffins, Banana Boat sunscreen, Banana Republic clothing, Fruit of the Loom underwear, and even listening to Gwen Stefani’s song “Hollaback Girl” on their boats.
Where does this superstition come from?
Popular reasons for this superstition came from the 1700s and 1800s.
- Insects & Critters: Ships carrying bananas in their cargo contained poisonous spiders that would bite the crew at night. Bananas can attract certain types of termites. Wooden ships and termites are not a good combination. And then of course any other critters like snakes taking a joy ride in the banana cargo.
- When ships sunk, bananas often floated to the top of the water (and anything else that floats). Other ships that came by shipwreck would see a bunch of floating bananas on the top of the water.
- Fermented, rotting bananas caused major drops in profit.
- Heavier cargo from bananas slowed down ships and impacted fishing.
Captain Rob’s Thoughts:
He says that bad luck from bananas on board is absolute bull shark.