Why is the ship the Dolphin described as "bewitched"?

In this
particular context, bewitched simply means "cursed". During its nine-day, forty-three
mile journey from Saybrook to Wethersfield, just about everything seems to go wrong for the
Dolphin.

The weather conditions, in particular, make the
ship's voyage just that little bit more difficult. As the river gets narrower the sea breeze
starts to drop; by sunset, it's vanished altogether, leaving the Dolphin
drifting aimlessly. On a couple of evenings the breeze picks up ever so slightly, filling
everyone onboard with hope, but then dies away again, causing the ship's sails to go all limp
and saggy.

Kit can't understand why there's so little wind blowing on this
river. But a sailor she talks to has seen it all before. This is all perfectly normal to him.
Instead of complaining about the lack of wind, he takes the opportunity of this enforced lull to
give the carved dolphin at the prow a fresh lick of paint.