When living on the wide, open seas, the mind tends to wander staring into the endless abyss of the ocean. There's no surprise that over the years sailors have come up with their own traditions, superstitions and lingo—and some of it is pretty interesting. For example, if you get bored and start to whistle your favorite tune, get ready for some nasty looks!
Whistling in a warship was seriously looked down upon and was even a punishable offense in Training Establishments all the way up to 1910. An official reason for this was that many orders were relayed via whistling, so a jaunty tune could cause some confusion. A more superstitious reason is that sailors believed whistling brought on strong winds, causing dangerous storms. To this day, if stuck in a windless boat, a sailor will stick a knife in the mast and whistle "for the wind" to get his boat going again.
There was an instance where whistling would be encouraged on board—and only by the cook. When the cook would be preparing raisins or prunes for pudding, he whistled to show that he wasn't stuffing his face with the tasty stuff. Sort of like an alibi if the fruits happened to go missing!
