Superstitions

[Madhatter23]

OK, here we go... I just bought a used boat, hate the name (CHICO)..I have heard it is bad luck to change the name on a boat...How about it??

[chadlaroche]

I need the answer to this too. I googled and theres alot of ways to do it. I stripped the old name when painting.Have the new name in the boat ready to apply.Went out and had nothing but trouble then blew the motor on day 4. So now i have a bottle of champagne to break on the bow!

[RTB]

My boat came through Hurricane Ike without a scratch before we bought it. I hate the name, too. But a bit chicken to change it...of course there is the un-naming and re-naming ceremony, but not sure if it works.

[zeehag]

if the boat is named after a lady--DO NOT CHANGE NAME. if it is NOT named after a female-- change is ok as long as decommissioned and recommissioned and the ceremony was performed properly.
chico is not a lady's name nor anything having to do with a female--so go for it.

[Minggat]

I changed the name of my boat without a single loss of life....so far. That was 11 years ago.. I'm pretty worn out now, but I don't think that's because I changed the name.

[SimonV]

Denaming Ceremony

"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today.

"Mighty Neptune , king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus (pronounced EE-oh-lus), guardian of the winds and all that blows before them:

"We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.

"Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known (_____), be struck and removed from your records.

"Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed.

"In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea.

"In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea." CHAMPAGNE



Christening Ceremony

After a boat is denamed, you simply need to rename it using the traditional christening ceremony, preferably with Queen Elizabeth breaking a bottle of champagne on the bow, and saying the words: "I name this ship ___________ and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her." CHAMPAGNE

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[chadlaroche]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Denaming Ceremony

"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today.

"Mighty Neptune , king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus (pronounced EE-oh-lus), guardian of the winds and all that blows before them:

"We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.

"Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known (_____), be struck and removed from your records.

"Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed.

"In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea.

"In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea." CHAMPAGNE



Christening Ceremony

After a boat is denamed, you simply need to rename it using the traditional christening ceremony, preferably with Queen Elizabeth breaking a bottle of champagne on the bow, and saying the words: "I name this ship ___________ and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her." CHAMPAGNE

================================================== =====

Nice ,just printed this out ....... can someone close this thread before a 1000 ceremonies need to be printed? I'm low on ink and champagne for that matter

[zeehag]

to break a bottle of champagne on the bow is to break a hole in hte bow. the gods appreciate the gesture but prefer the champagne to be less traumatically opened and then shared nicely.
as for superstitions--never sail out on a journey on a friday. i know this one works-- friend tested it-- he was knockied down in santa barbara channel. he is an excellent sailor-- so had to be the stoopidstishun...
i also know first hand about the whstling on boat to bring up a gale. i was doing fine on my trips in gulf until i whistled to kat and got wind .... kat comes to whistle, gales do as well.oops....

[RTB]

Renaming Your Boat

Doing it the right way staves off the possibility of bad luck
Superstition still plays a significant role in boaters’ lives. The sea, hardly changed in all the eons since its creation, is still a source of mystery and wonderment. Half of the Earth’s surface is covered by abyssal seas where light never penetrates, but where life nevertheless exists—sometimes in outlandish forms—in conditions of unimaginable pressure and Stygian darkness. Little wonder, then, that frail human beings plying the interface between the unruly atmosphere and the fearsome oceans should seek help by performing certain rituals known to their ancestors, and turning to their ancient gods for protection.One superstition still widely held concerns the renaming of a boat, which, in the United States at least, is held to be unlucky.

More here - quite a ways down, on the left Renaming a Boat

Voyages of Sea Trek

[Bill Lee]

Just erase the "O". Problem solved
Cheers,
Bill

[hummingway]

I firmly believe that anyone who changes the name of their boat will someday day! As it happens I think the same thing happens to you if you don't so ... what are you going to do?

[Elsakis]

Originally Posted by zeehag

if the boat is named after a lady--DO NOT CHANGE NAME. if it is NOT named after a female-- change is ok as long as decommissioned and recommissioned and the ceremony was performed properly.
chico is not a lady's name nor anything having to do with a female--so go for it.

I have been told that it is bad luck to have a boat that shares a name with your Wife/Girlfriend. Would that be a reason to change the name if it was a girls name?

[Ti' Punch]

I am not crazy about the name of our boat, but she has had the name since she was built (~21 years), so I left it. The boat name is Ti' Punch. She was originally a charter boat and all the boats in the fleet were named for rum drinks. I asked the PO why he didn't change the name when he bought her out of the charter fleet. He told me a story about a string of bad luck he had after renaming a previous boat. His house burned down, got divorced, etc...*so he stayed with Ti' Punch. I recently sent him an e-mail inviting him to stop and see us during his annual trip from Maine to NC and he responded with another tale of woe about his new boat. I asked if he had re-named it by any chance. He had. He followed a re-naming ceremony that he had found online, but apparently it didn't take. I'm not saying there is anything to it, but who knows.

[Khagan1227]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Denaming Ceremony

"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today.

"Mighty Neptune , king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus (pronounced EE-oh-lus), guardian of the winds and all that blows before them:

"We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.

"Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known (_____), be struck and removed from your records.

"Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed.

"In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea.

"In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea." CHAMPAGNE



Christening Ceremony

After a boat is denamed, you simply need to rename it using the traditional christening ceremony, preferably with Queen Elizabeth breaking a bottle of champagne on the bow, and saying the words: "I name this ship ___________ and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her." CHAMPAGNE

================================================== =====

Thanks Simon! Can I use beer instead?

[capngeo]

Just what I've been looking for! I renamed a 28' Bertram (Carmen) to "Cabin Fever" 20 years ago... She served me well and brought me home when a lot of boats would not have. She was de-commissioned 2 years ago. I broke the "named after a woman" rule without incident, as we did all the proper ceremony.... But that was a long time ago and I lost the words.

My Sailboat (Happy Days), was named by a previous owner... His last name was "Day". I've had her several years, but being a superstitious type, I never changed the name.

Well the name on the transom is old and faded, and will likely not survive the buff & fluff of the next haul out. I've had 3 boats with the moniker "Cabin Fever", and was thinking about renaming my S/V. Now I can without fear! THANKS!