Coin under the mast step?

[Liam]

Non-sense

Okay, I just got off the phone with Poseidon he said that this tradition was purely non-sense. He said that it was created by shipwrights and boat yard workers in an effort to get some pocket change. Kind of like having the Gypsy woman take the bag of cash to the graveyard at midnight.He said that he would much prefer something useful. I asked for an example and he suggested once a year buying a bottle of good scotch and sharing it with him.I agreed that this would be better for me too.

 

[Paul J. Rusyniak]

RECYCLED SCOTCH

Liam…Are you sharing the virgin Scotch or the recycled stuff with Poseidon?Pauls/v Pretty Lady

 

[Liam]

Recycled is Okay

Paul,Funny that you should ask... I had asked the same thing and Posiedon said either way is fine for him, but he added that he actually also shares with some of his aquatic buddies and they have a preference for what they call "warm kidney processed" scotch.I only do as I'm told.

 

[henkmeuzelaar]

High-risk bartender job

Serving WKP scotch to that rowdy bunch below is said to be a risky job. Some of the bartenders do not live long enough to tell any sea stories (or even zip up !! )Have funFlying Dutchman

 

[Seattle Scott]

Well the next time we pull the mast

it will be to replace the standing rigging and probably upgrade the furler and masthead and speader lights. I will just throw my maxed out credit card into the mast step.

 

[Liam]

Overboard

Reminds me of the old sailing ledgend about the guy who was serving up the WKP scotch from the stern while hanging on to the insulated backstay when someone decided to key up the single side band...SPLASH!

 

[Anchor Down]

So the Maxim is Illustrated:

One hand for the ship; one hand for, well, yourself.

 

[Peter]

You know, this thread

is going in a lot of areas I didn't originally intend, but is still a lot of fun and provides some solutions I didn't foresee! I like the idea of plastic instead of a coin, for electrolosis, and other reasons. If Poseidon is OK with my Visa (expired at the end of last month), I'll be happy to pull the mast for 5 minutes to drop it inside the mast step. (At our marina, the crane is easily available at no cost to us all.)

 

[Orville]

Not superstitous until......

I was sailing the length of Lake Michigan with a new, to me, boat and being a smarta## I called my sister and left "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" on her answering Machine. Wonderful weather, clear skies, wind 10-15 and forcast said more of the same for 48 hours. Within 2 hours winds were 40+ and those wonderful square waves the Great Lakes are know for. When I restep my mast in a couple of weeks you can bet there will a coin under it and a health, unprocessed libation, for Posiedon.

 

[Ferg]

Get Real, eh?

Look, the gods favour the gods. A sensible man knows putting to sea requires an eye to the weather, a realistic expectation of trip time and a liberal dose of paranoia and fear. Having said that, I have a silver 25c peice under my mast.