Boating Superstitions: #7 Get a Tattoo

October 23, 2025

Tattoos are not just for aesthetics; they are said to bring good omens. With sailors being a superstitious bunch, it makes sense that they believe in the power of symbols. Enter the tattoo. This body armor was an approach to attract luck and repel misfortune. Classic nautical art like the compass rose, anchor and nautical star are powerful symbols, said to guide the sailor home safely. Other art was to repel bad luck. 

Some quirky tattoos were roosters and pigs on the feet to prevent the sailor from drowning. In early times, many seamen were unable to swim and they believed gods would have mercy on them during a shipwreck if they saw the images of animals on their feet. Why roosters? This superstition may have rooted from stories of shipwrecks, where lighter livestock often survived because their crates would float in the ocean. In the days of long, slow ocean passages, tattoos were also a way to pass the time.

Courtesy Pacific Yachting