Maritime. As one of the oldest industries, it comes as no surprise that it is deeply entrenched in history, tradition, and folklore.
As result, the amount of maritime superstitions is too many to mention. A few of my favorites include:
- No women aboard.
- Do no rename a boat / ship.
- Do not set sail on a Friday.
- No whistling.
- Cats aboard are lucky.
- No bananas.
I don’t agree with any of these. And as a woman, an occasional whistler, and an eater of bananas, I take serious offense to these ones, specially.
There is one time honored tradition, however, that I am guilty of…
I do not wash my coffee mug.
That’s right. It’s disgustingly dirty, more like fucking filthy, to be exact.
I (usually) rinse it out between uses; I’m not a heathen! But I don’t use soap or a scrubber.
But this is intentional, and it is for good reason.
An unwashed coffee mug is a sign of seniority in military tradition. I have heard of it among the Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The tradition carried over into some merchant mariners as well.
When I sailed aboard ships, I worked with a few mates and captains who had the same philosophy. The dirtier the mug, the more able the mariner. A seasoned coffee mug was something acquired through years of hard work.
Looking back on over 15 years in the maritime industry, I realize how dirty my mug really is.
But layers of coffee represents something more than just another sludgy cup of joe.
They hold the breadth and depth of experiences gained from…
Every watch stood.
Every knot tied.
Every sea story shared.
Each sunrise and sunset.
Every waterway transited and port visited.
Each and every tack or course correction, for weather, for traffic, or for…life.
My dirty mug. It is my badge of honor, and I have earned it… cup by cup.