Norwegian Sealers, when they existed, had a lot of superstitions to contend with. The main being;
- Always make turn to Stbd. when leaving the wharf for the sealing grounds, (NEVER to Port)
- Never leave port on the 13th of the month. Especially not on a Friday 13th.
In the 1970s the authorities, in their wisdom, (or to spite the Sealers?) set the approved sailing date from Aalesund for the Western Ice at 13th March. (This to accommodate the annual refresher course about humane killing, using the “hakapike”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakapik)
They would all sail 10 min. or so after midnight on the 14th.
One year sailing day fell on Friday, 13th March. One skipper not from a traditional sealing village decided to sail on that day, even turning to Port. He let everybody know that he did not believe in all that superstition BS.
He was the first to fill his boat with seal skins and head home. Of course he let everybody know; “I told you so”.
The boat disappeared on the way home without a trace, or “Mayday”. The case is still unexplained to this day.
Besides all the “normal” superstitions among fishermen they also had a thing about umbrellas, which was strictly banned on a Sealing boat.
One much remembered story is about a journalist boarding a Sealer while carrying an umbrella. He was unceremoniously thrown overboard. He was not even pulled on board again, but dragged to the wharf before being pulled out, cold but alive.
To counteract the curse they had to get a whore to piss on the windlass.