Back When Creating an Oil Slick Was a Righteous Small-Craft Storm Tactic

Illegality May Not Be the Main Reason 'Storm Oil' Isn't a Thing Anymore

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a 1633 oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt. It was based a description of the Gospel of Mark about how Christ calmed the water. A rational thinker might surmise that Jesus—the only calm guy on the boat—had applied the old sailors’ trick of using “storm oil,” which helps prevent wa…