In assessing the merits of such tales, it's probably wise to keep in mind that old sailor's saw that the only difference between a fairytale and a sea story is a fairytale begins, "Once upon a time," and a sea story begins, "This ain't no shit." (Laughter) Every fish that gets away grows with every telling of the tale.
Når man skal vurdere denne slags fortællingers sandsynlighed, er det nok klogt at huske på at gamle sømænd mente at den eneste forskel mellem et eventyr og en søfortælling er at et eventyr begynder med, "Der var engang," og en søfortælling begynder med, "Det her er ikke pis." (Latter) Hver eneste fisk der slipper væk vokser hver gang historien genfortælles.