Asking the important questions - is it wrong to use a silver dollar when stepping the mast?

LeslieTroyer · Jun 17, 2018

Never saw much corrosion under Dad’s mast which was stepped with Silver Dollars.

Les

justsomeguy · Jun 17, 2018

HanBan said:
Hello again!
OK, so the mast will be here soon, and I've been told that it's a requirement to place a coin in there when stepping. If I use a liver dollar, will the dissimilar metals cause corrosion?
It's a silly question, however, once again I have no idea what the answer is.
Han

Supposedly, use a silver dollar of the same vintage as your boat. I doubt any corrosion beyond normal would occur.

I'm not superstitious, just a little stitious.

kappykaplan · Jun 17, 2018

That’s a great maritime tradition!

jssailem · Jun 17, 2018

There are many traditions that sailors and boat owners follow or do not follow. If you can find a silver dollar that matches the age of your boat by all means plant it in at the bottom of the mast. It promises to bring fair winds.

Think about it they used gold doubloons back in the days of sailing ships. That may have been the reason the captain wanted to be the last to leave the ship. He went for the gold.

justsomeguy · Jun 17, 2018

HanBan said:
Nice, following your comment, I just bought a 2005 silver dollar on ebay. Thanks!

Hope you only paid a dollar for it, plus shipping of course.

JamesG161 · Jun 17, 2018

Pure Silver is about as good as...

Gold & Platinum

On the sea water corrosion chart.
Jim...

PS: You Aluminum mast shouldn't be a galvanic issue with Silver.
PSS: I am hypo-stitious like @justsomeguy

jssailem · Jun 17, 2018

JamesG161 said:
hypo-stitious

In Other words...

"Substitutious Instead of Hypostitious
Had a thought earlier today…instead of hypostitious it might be better as substitutious. I have had a lot of debates with AI guys who talk about Substitution level, as far as an assumed level at which a simulation is functionally indistinguishable from the original. This ties in to the way that consciousness is anti-mechanism by virtue of its connection to unrepeatable novelty.

Mechanism is about repetition and automation. It is about substituting unconscious activity for personal effort and manual control. Being “substitutious” then, would be to superstitious what the compulsion to reduce everything extraordinary into something ordinary would be to the compulsion to inflate ordinary coincidence to the will of a God." by http://s33light.org/post/65280436197

Will Gilmore · Jun 17, 2018

jssailem said:
In Other words...

"Substitutious Instead of Hypostitious
Had a thought earlier today…instead of hypostitious it might be better as substitutious. I have had a lot of debates with AI guys who talk about Substitution level, as far as an assumed level at which a simulation is functionally indistinguishable from the original. This ties in to the way that consciousness is anti-mechanism by virtue of its connection to unrepeatable novelty.

Mechanism is about repetition and automation. It is about substituting unconscious activity for personal effort and manual control. Being “substitutious” then, would be to superstitious what the compulsion to reduce everything extraordinary into something ordinary would be to the compulsion to inflate ordinary coincidence to the will of a God." by http://s33light.org/post/65280436197

We should discuss this further.

- Will (Dragonfly)

jssailem · Jun 17, 2018

PM me

Kermit · Jun 17, 2018

Personally I think you should have saved the dollar for when you throw out the next valuable piece of equipment. ;-)

Gunni · Jun 18, 2018

You have a deck-stepped mast right? So it has a hollow base and sits on a cast socket attached to your deck. The tradition of placing a coin under the mast is for solid masts keel stepped. Your mast has some small weep holes in the base to drain water that collects inside the mast, you don’t want anything in there that interferes with those weep holes, otherwise you risk pooling and a freeze mast split in the winter. A coin may not compromise the drainage but bird nests can - have your rigger plug all bird-sized holes on your mast, they especially like the slots where your shrouds enter the mast. Aluminum plates will do the job.

victorhoisington · Jun 18, 2018

So the tradition was to use silver, you are supposed to make reasonable homages to the gods. In this case, copper was considered too cheap and gold is too extravagant. We always get a silver dollar, place it in a plastic coin holder (your local coin shop will have these) and tape it to the base of the mast or in the center of the mast step. In my case I have a Canadian silver dollar from the year the admiral was born (1949), since it has a ship on it.

This is purely part of the nautical lore, and goes along with the ship naming and denaming rights which we also take seriously. While we have had many ship naming ceremonies for all of our vessels over the years (Great excuse for a party), I have not been able to find any ceremony surrounding the placing of the silver coin at the mast.

Fair winds,

Davidasailor26 · Jun 18, 2018

I had never heard of this tradition. Is an Allen wrench dropped down the mast while installing a roller furling main an adequate substitute for a silver dollar? I believe the gods were pleased, as they refused to return the sacrifice despite much magnet-fishing.

victorhoisington · Jun 18, 2018

Appropriate sacrifices are always welcome. You also have to remember as long as it is held in the mast you can claim it was a silver Allen wrench, paying proper homage, you may also claim that since the replacement Allen Wrench cost way more than a dollar but, less than its weight in gold, that you provided a suitable substitute. Its only IF you get demasted and the gods can determine if it was a proper or improper homage, that it really matters.

The only rule to remember is The gods are fickle, and will determine your fate at their whim.

I always believe in being prepared beforehand and trying to ward off any evil before it happens. I have enough issues with trying to run the boat and keep the admiral happy, that I try to take care of the gods issues up front. Sort of like prepping the boat for a long trip. Do what I can to prepare, hope for the best, expecting the worst

Fair winds,

Victor

PS: I try to listen to the gods and answer their requests as it does seem t keep me out of trouble when sailing. So, when Neptune asked for my Phillips head screw driver to adjust his trident, I promptly drop it on the deck so that it would land appropriately in his hand as it splashed in the water, to heck with the Winch I was almost finished installing