Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: milnko on January 02, 2003, 07:56:19 PM

Title: Only Bosun's and queers whistle at sea
Post by: milnko on January 02, 2003, 07:56:19 PM

Is an old insult they used to say in the NAVY to keep you from whistling.

But do ya know why?

Because superstition has it you may whistle up a storm.

Wonder where did these superstitions come from?

Fishermen.

I've been reading two VERY GOOD books that have kept me page turning daily.

HIGHLINERS
The Classic Novel About the Commercial Fishermen of Alaska
by William McCloskey
ISBN 1-58574-028-4

AND

WORKING ON THE EDGE
Surviving in the World's most dangerous profession: King Crab Fishing on Alaska's High Seas
by Spike Walker (a fellow Clatskanie hometown boy)
ISBN 0-312-08924-4

If you've ever wondered where your Shrimp, Salmon,  King Crab and Halibut come from, and the dangers involved in bringing 'em to your dinner table, you gotta read these books.

Dis ain't aboot no svort fishin', dis dere vis aboot da real fishermen.

Generally it's the decendents of the Swedes, Norwedians, and Russians who commercially fish the Northwest from the Oregon Coast (including the Columbia River) all the way north to the Bering Sea.

Title: Only Bosun's and queers whistle at sea
Post by: Drunky on January 02, 2003, 08:11:17 PM

You don't whistle on a ship because you may miss the whistles that mean things...like two whisltes mean "Man all stations" or some toejam like that...I'm really drunk, but I can still spell

It's something like that