There’s something about leap years that has always felt a little… off. Maybe it’s the extra day in February, a quirk of the calendar that disrupts the usual flow of time. Maybe it’s the eerie legends that have followed these rare years throughout history. In 2024, we experienced one of these uncommon years, and now we won’t see another until 2028. Whatever the reason, sailors — among the most superstitious of all seafarers — have long held leap years in a special, and often unsettling, regard. From strange tides to unlucky voyages, maritime folklore is filled with odd beliefs about what happens when the world adds an extra day.
But before diving into these salty superstitions, let’s get one thing straight — what exactly is a leap year, and why do we have them?
A leap year occurs every four years to keep our calendar aligned with Earth’s orbit around the sun. While we traditionally say a year is 365 days, it actually takes Earth about 365.242 days to complete its journey. That small fraction adds up, so if we didn’t occasionally add a day to the calendar, our seasons would slowly drift out of sync. Without leap years, winter could eventually creep into July, and summer could one day fall in December. To prevent chaos, the ancient Romans under Julius Caesar implemented the leap year system in 45 BCE — a decision that would later become tangled in maritime myths.
Unlucky Voyages and Doomed Ships
Many sailors believed that launching a ship during a leap year was a surefire way to invite disaster. According to old maritime folklore, ships set sail in a leap year were cursed, doomed to encounter violent storms, navigational errors, or even vanish without a trace. Some shipbuilders refused to finish construction on vessels during these years, fearing bad luck would be sealed into the very wood of the hull.
One particularly eerie legend tells of a 19th-century whaling ship that departed from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on February 29 — Leap Day itself. According to sailors’ accounts, the ship was battered by an unexpected storm within hours of setting sail, and it was never seen again. The disappearance only added to the belief that leap years were riddled with bad omens.
Tides That Don’t Obey the Moon
Leap years have also been blamed for unusual tides. Sailors who spent their lives studying the rhythms of the ocean swore that during leap years, the tides behaved strangely. Some claimed the sea was slower to rise, as if reluctant to follow the moon’s pull. Others whispered that rogue waves — unexpected and towering walls of water — appeared more frequently in leap years.
Science, of course, tells us that leap years have no effect on tides, but in the age of celestial navigation, when seafarers relied on the heavens to guide them, any disruption in the expected flow of time was deeply unsettling. If time itself could be altered, what else could shift in unexpected ways?
The Phantom Wind of Leap Day
Another bizarre superstition spoke of the “Phantom Wind” — a chilling gust that supposedly swept across the decks of ships on February 29. Sailors said this mysterious wind would appear out of nowhere, even on the calmest of seas, and carry whispers of drowned sailors and lost ships. Those unlucky enough to feel it on their face were warned to stay below deck, lest they be claimed by the sea before the year was out.
Even captains, known for their hardened resolve, were said to avoid setting sail on Leap Day. “Let the sea rest on the 29th,” some old sailors would say, warning that to ignore this tradition was to tempt fate.
A Year When the Sea Took Back What It Was Owed
One of the most chilling beliefs among sailors was that leap years were when the sea collected its debts. If a sailor had managed to escape a shipwreck or a violent storm in previous years, a leap year might be the time when fate finally caught up with them. Sailors who had narrowly survived past voyages were often reluctant to set sail during these years, convinced that the ocean never forgot a life it was owed.
This eerie superstition made the rounds among whaling fleets, pirate crews, and merchant ships alike. Stories told of entire ships crewed by men who had all cheated death before — only to vanish during a leap year voyage, as if the ocean had finally balanced the scales.
A Year of Second Chances?
Not all leap year lore was sinister. Some sailors believed that because leap years disrupted the normal passage of time, they also offered a rare chance for second chances and redemption. A sailor who had lost his fortune could see a reversal of luck. A ship that had been struck by misfortune could find itself blessed with bountiful catches and favorable winds.
Perhaps the most famous tradition linked to leap years is the belief that February 29 is a day when women could propose to men — a practice said to date back to the Middle Ages. While this has nothing to do with sailing directly, some sailors saw it as a sign that leap years were a time of unexpected reversals — when old rules were broken, and fate could turn in any direction.
Still Superstitious at Sea?
In today’s world of GPS and modern navigation, most sailors laugh at the idea that a leap year can change the tides or curse a voyage. But maritime traditions are hard to shake. Even now, some captains avoid launching new ships in a leap year, just in case. Old-timers still tell tales of cursed voyages and phantom winds. And when February 29 rolls around, some sailors can’t help but wonder — just for a moment — if the sea is watching a little closer than usual.
Belief in these superstitions may vary, but there’s no denying that leap years have always carried a sense of mystery. They remind us that time is not as rigid as it seems, and that for sailors, who live at the mercy of the winds and tides, even a single extra day can feel like a ripple in the great, unpredictable ocean of fate.
