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NO BANANAS ON BOARD
Scott Berman
There are many stories why bananas have been thought of as bad luck on boats. So, let me peel back folklore so you don't slip on the truth. Back in the days of the transatlantic crossings by wooden sailing ships many hazards would befall these ships. Disease, pirates, shipwrecks, storms, etc., claimed the lives of a good percentage of the captains, crew, and passengers attempting the dangerous voyage. 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. As Stevie Wonder pointed out so eloquently, "When you believe in things that you can't understand, that's superstition."
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