Boat naming question

[Guzzi]

I have a question about REnaming a boat.
A friend just bought a new to him boat and wanted to rename it. IIRC there is "bad mojo" if one renames a boat without first going through a certain procedure or ceremoney, if you will.

Can anyone tell if I am correct and, if so, what is this procedure?

Yes, this is really for a friend, I don't own a boat...yet.

[skatastrophy]

Here's a colorful account of why you shouldn't "piss off Poseidon" and how to keep the gods of wind and sea happy. It's a 3 part series:

Part 1

Part 2

Part3, the part containing the requisite rituals

[Guzzi]

Great reading and thanks!
I think I'll enjoy this..it involves rum or champagne....

[RickD]

Methinks a boat who has never been named in the past is seeking a name for now.

We are in that particular predicament.

Since we're about to be the new owners, we'll abide by traditions of naming a vessel...

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Guzzi

there is "bad mojo" if one renames a boat .

We asked our boat is she would mind having a new name. Nicolle cuddled her mast and I tickled her transom and she agreed.

She is now named "Sea Life" and she loves it, and we love her


Mark

[Dave the Canuck]

Try this. We did and we're still here so I guess that proves it works. Have some fun with it. Invite a crowd to join in and above all, DON"T be cheap with the libation.

Good Old Boat: Renaming a boat? How bad could that be? by John Vigor

[Vasco]

At the risk of being labeled a curmudgeon no ceremony is required. Boats and ships are renamed every day without any ceremony whatsoever with no ill effect. If you want to have a party, by all means have one but there is no requirement for any mumbo jumbo which has no basis in any naval or sea-going tradition. Now, launching a new vessel, that's a different matter altogether but renaming happens all the time.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Vasco

At the risk of being labeled a curmudgeon no ceremony is required. Boats and ships are renamed every day without any ceremony whatsoever with no ill effect. If you want to have a party, by all means have one but there is no requirement for any mumbo jumbo which has no basis in any naval or sea-going tradition. Now, launching a new vessel, that's a different matter altogether but renaming happens all the time.

I don't know if I would go so far as to say there is no sea-going tradition involved in renaming boats. Tradition and lore are a huge part of sailing history and superstitions are interwoven almost completely with many sailing habits. Do some googling and you will find tons of examples of tradtitions driven by superstition.

Of course many thousands of boats have been renamed without ill effect. That's why it is a superstition. You can be superstitious or not or you just want to have a party.

The lore with boat names is that Poseiden holds the register of all vessels in his kingdom. If you rename a boat without the proper ceremony your risk angering Poseidon.

There is also a history of human sacrifice in naming and renaming vessels. I don't recommend you follow any tradition like that.

Here is the ceremony we used and we had a blast.

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

[AnchorageGuy]

Have the ceremony, have fun with it, who cares if it is bad or good luck or superstition. It will be one of your first boat memories.

[RickD]

At the risk of bringing the ire of the gods upon me... I say, "Whatever floats your boat"...

/chuckle

[Dave the Canuck]

Originally Posted by Chuck Baier

Have the ceremony, have fun with it, who cares if it is bad or good luck or superstition. It will be one of your first boat memories.

...and when it's suddenly honking 40 knots and you have to beat for shelter in 10 footers , it's one more thing you can check off when you're going through the mental checklist.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Dave the Canuck

...and when it's suddenly honking 40 knots and you have to beat for shelter in 10 footers , it's one more thing you can check off when you're going through the mental checklist.

One of the "rules" is to eradicate all instances of the old name throughout the boat. We kept breaking hardware on our boat on every sail. We finally found an old manifest in a locker with the old name and removed the offending item from the boat.

We no longer break stuff every sail.

It could also have been the fact that we spent $10k on our rolling refit but why take chances

[Vasco]

Hey Dan,

Maybe you've broken all of it or maybe you've learned how the boat sails.

[Mick MacGyver]

In over 26 years of sailing, I have come across many different rituals of Poseidon's Rules and got my shellback at great suffering as well. The best name I had named any of my past sailboats (in my single life) was "After You".
That way, when any prospective girl that I was taking down to the boat for the first time asked; "What did you name your boat?"
I would reply; I named it after you!

Enjoy yourself & life with your boatnaming, that's why you bought a boat!

[imagine2frolic]

You can do one of two things. Change the name, and go about your business. Or you can make it fun, and invite some friends.:cubalibre