SAILOR ‘TATTOOS’
“Sailor tattoos date back to at least the 16th century among European sailors, and since colonial times among American sailors. Sailor tattoos have served as protective talismans in sailors’ superstitions, records of important experiences, markers of identity, and means of self-expression.”
Since the early days of 59º North, we’ve adapted the old-school sailor tattoo tradition by creating a series of milestone embroidered patches, in the old-school tattoo style. Each boat has it’s own branded patch that everyone who sails with us gets, and then for certain important milestones, based on the same traditions as the tattoos, we’ve created a patch for that too. The complete gallery of ‘earnable’ patches is below! Special thanks to Constance, our friend and tattoo artist in Portugal who hand-drew the tattoo designs below; to Steve O. for digitizing them (and for designing the original patches back in the early days!); and to Laura for the Press Gang patch design!
Special Milestone Patches
Boat-Specific Patches
