Boating Superstitions: #8 No Whistling

November 6, 2025

You know how to whistle don’t you? Well, according to mariners, it’s best you don’t. Whistling on a boat is considered to be a challenge to the wind gods and it will stir up the wind, get it moving and cause bad weather and rough seas. The same could be said of singing and clapping, which are said to be able to trigger a thunderstorm. However, for sailors who happen to be stuck in windless waters, whistling could be used to their benefit, to bring on the wind and get the boat moving.

–from Pacific Yachting

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