Orkney Image Library

Can anyone enlighten me as to why a lot of Orkney boats have numbers that add up to thirteen e.g Noronya K733?. I remember the Arkh Angell and Gaurdian Angell were K535 and K616, the Orcades Vikings were K175 and i think the Vestrfjordr was K373 but i might be wrong with the last one. Is this a superstition or just a complete coincidence?

Am I right in thinking the Minch hunter was K193 or K913?

The orcades viking 1 was K616.

Vestrfjordr was K274, Minch Hunter K193, Southards K913, Aalskere is K373, the first Orcades Viking was K616 and having a number adding up to thirteen may have started with the Bountiful which was K67.

The Minch Hunter was K193. SY registered now I think and in the Western Isles.

Minch Hunter is Irish owned and registered N236 now.

The last photo I saw of her she was Minch Hunter SY82 in the Western Isles, but she may have been sold to Ireland after that.

I've wondered about this too. Others include Vestrfjorder (K274), Rivo (K391), Ewing McGruer (K454), Hildona (K238), Norlantean (K508) and the slightly more cryptic Keila (K121, 12+1=13) and Russa Taing (K1102, 1+10+2=13)

Craig Taylor's website also has pictures of boats with K139 and K49.

Superstition or coincidence? Here's a coincidence: I had been reading a booklet called Harbour Reflections, about Eyemouth harbour, immediately before idly starting to click on Random Pic and coming up with this thread. The booklet says registration numbers whose digits add up to 7 have always been looked on as lucky. 'Lucky seven' - no surprise there, and no doubt the fishing community have used this convention for generations (though I, a mere landlubber, didn't know it) . But 'unlucky thirteen' seems a bit perverse.
My connection with Eyemouth? None, except the Ship Hotel down on the quayside does a good lunch - and they were flogging the booklet when I was there a week or two ago.