Neptune's tip

[SRB]

Hello one and all. Apologies if this subject has been covered before but being 'before the mast' and a newbie here I hope someone will spare me the lashes! Regarding various superstitions and folkelore:
I have recently bought a delightful 23ft sailboat. I have not, and do not want to change her name and have just put fresh lettering on her stern but I would like to have a small ceremony to make the bond between her and myself. Also I want to offer Neptune a small token of loyalty so that he may look after me and my vessel. I am planning a to say something along the lines of " I reaffirm the name of this ship ...... May God bless her and all who sail in her" Then pour some bubbly or similar over her name and her bow. This will be followed by throwing in the water a £2 coin and saying something along the lines "Neptune, I offer you this token as a sign of my respect for you. Please offer me fair winds and calm seas"
Has anyone else done a similar ceremony, have any comments on its merit and protocols, or suggestions on the wording. Many thanks.

[Hud3]

SRB,

A warm welcome to you! Good to have you here on Cruisers Forum.

I'm not a nautical ceremonies maven, but to me, your plan appears to be very appropriate. Don't forget to spill a bit of the bubbly over the side to wet Neptune's whistle! And, you might want to recognize the Gods of the Four Winds, as well, since you'll be dependent on their good graces while at sea.

[David M]

Welcome aboard!
Ceremonies like this certainly are fun. The more elaborate the better...especially when you have a bunch of friends around. There are of course no official ways of going about placating the gods of the sea....just have fun with it. That's probably what the gods would want anyway.

[Ex-Calif]

Here's my favorite script. We did the whole thing, invited a bunch of friend's out to the dock and had a blast.

http://www.bluewatersailing.com/docu...ngceremony.pdf

[Boracay]

You ceremony requests the blessing of two Gods who might be considered to be opposed.

May I suggest that if you wish to go with the Christian God that you make a donation to your local church and omit the Pagan side. Some clergy may even do the blessing for you if circumstances permit.

If you wist to go with the Pagan side you could omit the reference to God and make a donation to one of the organisations working positively in the marine field. Sea Shepherd comes to mind as that most directly connected to Neptune, but there are many others.

My experience has been that Gods frown on poorly considered tributes.

[SRB]

Wow! Thanks Hud for the welcome and Ex-Calif and Boracay for those options. I shall give the matter some thought but I think I have enough to put a ceremony together now.

[imagine2frolic]

A real bonding will happen when you become one with your boat. That takes time, and some hair raising experiences..........WELCOME

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by SRB

Wow! Thanks Hud for the welcome and Ex-Calif and Boracay for those options. I shall give the matter some thought but I think I have enough to put a ceremony together now.

Which ceremony you choose might depend on the local availability of virgins. We had to use a 5 year old - LOL...

[SRB]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

A real bonding will happen when you become one with your boat. That takes time, and some hair raising experiences..........WELCOME

Thank you imagine2frolic, a like-minded seafarer I see. I totally agree it takes time to get to know your boat, and your boat to get to know you. How else are you going to get along if you don't allow for each others characteristics! Fair winds to you and yours.

[Roy M]

Here is the ceremony many of us use on the coast of California (virgins being difficult to find, locally): Latitude 38 - The De-Naming Ceremony. Those of us with multihulls particularly ascribe to the shooting of the cork and spraying of the bubbly in lieu of smashing heavy bottles against the bow.

[Alexei]

Sounds like fun, but to REALLY bond with your boat, take her out and run her aground a few times. It worked for me.



-Alexei

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Alexei

Sounds like fun, but to REALLY bond with your boat, take her out and run her aground a few times. It worked for me.



-Alexei

Ouch - LOL.

Here are a couple of snaps from our launchfest.

My partner and I are in complete disarray because Relax Lah! decided to chuck an impeller as we brought her to the dock and we decided to "fix" it real quick.

Welcome to boat ownership - LOL.