Hyla wrote: >In the age of sail, at least in Europe, it was generally considered bad luck to have a woman on board ship.<

That's why the two notorious woman pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, had to live disguised as men! Only their captain, Captain Calico Jack Rackham (and in Mary Read's case her pirate husband) knew the truth. (Anne was the Captain's mistress). And it was Anne Bonney who taunted Captain Jack at his hangin' with: "If you'd've come up and fought like a MAN, you wouldn't have to be hanged like a DOG!" Nice ladies.

Course, Grace O'Malley, the feared and fierce Irish pirate of the 16th century, captained her own ship...so she could dress any way she damn well wanted!