General Info: Renaming a boat and the ritual

[Apollo366]

According to my Navel Historian friend, Ray Ashley of San Diego Maritime Museum, the old New England sailors would rename ships at each ownership change with no special ceremony and their luck was the same as anyone else's.

But I like the idea of a booze fueled party to "Break it in", and the twin boys peeing on the bows of a cat, well it would be unique!

Capt Wayne

[JamesPNW]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Good luck with that one..

I thought wisdom of the crowd can help with this viking ritual.

[Clivevon]

Worries about changing a boat name. This is all total guff. Whats in a name anyway. This is all pure superstition & nonsense. Except... Well, I thought about changing my boat name years ago but in the end I didn't. Absolutely nothing to do with any unease about doing that of course, I just grew to like the name she was given when first registered - Orcella. It has caused minor issues. The Mallorcans (mallorquin) call her Orsaya. Other Spanish call her Orthaya. Others call her Orsella, & even Othello, but to me she is Orchella. I looked the meaning of the name up - the nearest I could find referred to a species of little blue dolphin found in the Irrawaddy River in the Far East, so I thought - I'm good with that.

[Clivevon]

I have seen other boat names though that would definitely have sent me on a frantic search for a virgin. Boat names I have seen & hate include "Huckster"; "Lone Shark", "Betty Swallocks". I could go on. Why would anyone give a perfectly innocent boat a name like that? To be more controversial, I'm not too sure about all the "Wet Dream"s out there either, & I understand "Carpe Diem" but it is really overdone, don't you think?

[Stu Jackson]

I've never had a virgin on my boat, so how come the bilge looks like someone peed in it?

[Knotical]

If you go through the “virgin pee” ceremony and the boat gets shipwrecked does that put the “virginity” in question? 😊

[TedCG1]

Before I was married, I would rename my boat-du-jour after every new girlfriend. Never any ceremony. Sometimes lucky, sometimes not so much.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by JamesPNW

I wasn’t sure if boys would be the right requirement. But getting a boy to do the job would be easier. On down side, I was just clean the 2 bilges with bleach and now this ritual will stink the bilge again. Champagne replacement is good, but let’s see how many agree to that.

Anti LBGT huh.!!!!

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by Annie in WA

We renamed our boat 20 years ago and she has been a fine lucky boat so far. Crossed the equator twice and lived aboard for years. As far as I know no one regardless of experience ever whizzed in the bilge. We did a denaming ceremony that included thanking the old name and removing everything with the old name from the boat. No white out we cut out any reference to the old name and took it off the boat! Then we had a traditional naming ceremony.

I'm not superstitious but this was my process with friends to do something fun when I bought my boat. The previous name was a morose Grateful Dead song and there was a bottle of Dead Red non alcoholic wine on board that was undrinkable so it went down the sink to appease Zeus. (Although I see now that these bottles are being sold on eBay as collectibles. ****.) Anyway, Kynntana and I have had many marvelous adventures in the intervening years so that superstition can take a flying whizz. As a female owner, I really dislike this anachronistic tradition (if it ever actually were a real one) and wish it would go away. It's rather pervy...

[SV Bacchus]

When we bought our boat we did change the name and did not have a renaming ceremony. We were promptly struck by lightening and suffered through a 7 month refit.

Upon commissioning from the refit we immediately conducted a proper renaming ceremony and have had nothing but great luck ever since.

Just last week we were in a marina in the lower Chesapeake and sat thru to the worst storm with lightening popping everywhere, wind gusts to 60 kts and hail. I just smiled and said "No worries!" I was right, nothing bad happened.

[Mr B]

Scraped off old name,
Tere Hau Nui, Means Smooth sailing in Tahitian,
I got sick of explaining what it means,
My boat is now called, Mr B,

Changed the name on my Epirb registration,
Informed The Marina of the Name change,
Got half whacked with my new GF on Board after her first boat trip ever,
Took her out in forecasted severe weather warning 40 knots or more,
I live in a real world, She will like it or not, She loved it,
Spoiled the party abruptly, as I did have to drive home, .05 Driving laws,

There was a time when a woman on board was unlucky for the boat,
I do remember there were a few Pirate captains on old sailing vessels, They seemed to do alright,

Superstition in 2020, If it floats your boat. go for it, If not, Just change the name and the paper work involved, Its that simple,

I changed the head, replaced with a new one, Getting the old pipe out, It flicked all over the place with 3 week old pee from a woman,
Definately not a virgin,
So I have pee in my bilge and all over me,
I dont know if that would be called an offering to the Gods or not,
It was only in one bilge, So its only half an offering,

I have been in one very violent storm since, Severe wind and seas, 40 knots plus,
Im still here,
Looks like the Gods accepted the stale pee in the bilge, Hahahahahahaha
And half drunk with a woman on Board,

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Scraped off old name,
Tere Hau Nui, Means Smooth sailing in Tahitian,
I got sick of explaining what it means,
My boat is now called, Mr B,

Changed the name on my Epirb registration,
Informed The Marina of the Name change,
Got half whacked with my new GF on Board after her first boat trip ever,
Took her out in forecasted severe weather warning 40 knots or more,
I live in a real world, She will like it or not, She loved it,
Spoiled the party abruptly, as I did have to drive home, .05 Driving laws,

There was a time when a woman on board was unlucky for the boat,
I do remember there were a few Pirate captains on old sailing vessels, They seemed to do alright,

Superstition in 2020, If it floats your boat. go for it, If not, Just change the name and the paper work involved, Its that simple,

I changed the head, replaced with a new one, Getting the old pipe out, It flicked all over the place with 3 week old pee from a woman,
Definately not a virgin,
So I have pee in my bilge and all over me,
I dont know if that would be called an offering to the Gods or not,
It was only in one bilge, So its only half an offering,

I have been in one very violent storm since, Severe wind and seas, 40 knots plus,
Im still here,
Looks like the Gods accepted the stale pee in the bilge, Hahahahahahaha
And half drunk with a woman on Board,

At least it was ‘just’ stale pee and not stale poo!

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by fxykty

At least it was ‘just’ stale pee and not stale poo!

It was brown slush, so I dont know what it was, I just wanted it off me and repaired,
It stank to the high heavens,

Maybe I should have got a sample and had it tested, hahahaha

[foothillsailor]

I've got a lovely Brittany Spaniel who is an accomplished second mate on our boat and she would be quite happy to pee almost anywhere on your boat ---- oh, and to the best of my knowledge, she is a virgin but at times can be a bit bitchy

[JamesPNW]

Originally Posted by Knotical

If you go through the “virgin pee” ceremony and the boat gets shipwrecked does that put the “virginity” in question? [emoji4]

Shipwrecked is more likely the captain’s fault. As for virginity quality - it is an inverse proportion to age - boy or girl. So if I go through with this ritual, I will find a baby to do it. [emoji5]