Do Boats Have 'Souls' ?

[s/vAngel]

Wow, this was a cool discussion to stick my nose/bowsprit into. It's interesting how people have so many different views and I can't help sharing mine. As a little girl, I grew up with the old way traditions of the ancestors from the mix of tribes that I came from. The strongest traditions are from the relation that earned a living fishing and dealt with boats quite a bit. Passed down to me were beliefs and such about boats- hope this doesn't sound to hokey, some of my European friends think it is! That's okay, everyone has a view. Where I'm from, boats do have spirits and the older she is and the more she is loved, the stronger her spirit becomes. Boats are "he" gender in some tribes and some countries like in Russia and France (at least in the past it was). Boats are as alive as we are according to my native belief, they just don't bleed like we do. To live on one is to really have a chance to get to know a boat's spirit, only if one is open to the idea and listens. She can protect you and see things that you can't and, it's believed by the ancestors, warn you about storms coming or other hazards. She'll talk to you in her boatish ways and try to tell you about repairs that need to be done before they get dangerous. One can even fall in love with a boat in varying degrees. To keep a boat's spirit happy, my relatives would "feed" her offerings of food, flowers or drink by putting the stuff on her bow.
The champaign christenings of boats came from an ancient Viking practice of killing slaves during the launching of a new vessel as it was believed that their souls would enter the vessel and make her a successful seagoer. (Gee, you'd think that the killed slaves' souls would be a bit tee'd off and make the boat unlucky!) In time, blood gave way to red wine then white wine. In parts of the Caribbean, it's believed that a boat MUST have a soul in order to do a safe job at sea. In my travels, I've seen other cultures "feeding" their boats goodies for luck, so that must be a common thing. Scottish fishermen fed their vessels strong grain alcohol (a drunk boat?).
Personally, with such a biased upbringing and a strong leaning on the spirit world, I really do believe that my boat has a soul. It's funny, but when people that I haven't seen in a long while pass by Angel and me, they wave "hi" at Angel first! Then they ask how she's doing and comment if she looks "happy" or "tired". Yesterday, cruising buddy Bill said that Angel was "staring" at him, and he's a logical, down-to-earth fisherman who doesn't believe such things unless he sees it for himself.
Anthropomorphize (spelling?) the heck out of a boat- it makes the boat owner take better care out of her and thus making her a safer vessel.

[Ex-Calif]

I feed my boat dollar bills. It's the only thing that satisfies her appetites.

Hellosailor, I like it, and, you can be sure that it would be my nature to address Neptune AND his bride.
While boats seem to respond well to gold, they respond better to the sea. Nothing will kill the soul of a vessel faster than a life dockside, in my opinion.
As for only the Vincent, the Black Shadow does have a soul, but so does a wood boat.

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by Kai Nui

As for only the Vincent, the Black Shadow does have a soul, but so does a wood boat.

Kai, I thought you would be one to catch that.

[happy adventure]

I was advised on this by a salty old sea dog..Remove all traces of old name..And have a maiden (virgin) pee in the bilge..I am not kidding!..So my friends 5yr old did the deed while her mother giggled at me! I turned my back with a face as red as the sun...But the boat hasnt sunk yet..Just shoot me..I feel a lot better about the name change than if i had'nt. Must be the latent pagan in me! Fair winds! BILL

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by happy adventure

I was advised on this by a salty old sea dog..Remove all traces of old name..

True - including the name if written on any of the paperwork onboard - licenses receipts etc. as well as boathooks, life bouys etc.

Neptune wants all appearance of that previous name to be gone - or he reputedly gets a bit peeved.

Originally Posted by happy adventure

And have a maiden (virgin) pee in the bilge..I am not kidding!..So my friends 5yr old did the deed while her mother giggled at me!

After a long search for a virgin we had to select my partner's 5 y/o daughter as well. We took her word for it and no doctors were called in for verification...

[DaveyJones]

Reality is only what we are able to perceive in our minds, which are extremely limited to what we can confirm to be possible.

Some people have knowledge of things that others would consider impossible.

Therefore, why take a chance with your new boat? If you think it's silly then do it for fun anyway.

I can't see what christianity has to do with any of this.
Just my opinion.

[Sandero]

If you think humans have souls than you can believe anything can have a soul. It's a leap of faith.

[hellosailor]

DJ-
"I can't see what christianity has to do with any of this." Aside from excommunicating you and damning your soul if you ask Poseidon's blessings instead of Christ's?
No, there's not much else it has to do with this, aside from "Blessing of the Fleet" ceremonies.

Remember, in the event of falling overboard, swim. Do not walk on the water, it tends to start religions.<G>

[DaveyJones]

If you believe in and follow christianity then you would not sincerely make offerings to another god. Maybe one would see it as good luck or a symbolic gesture.

Just in case it does affect your christianity, you are forgiven.

[Pura Vida]

I always liked the walk on water stories from various religions.

From Buddhism:
A young monk went to visit a hermit that was living on an island in the middle of a lake. A boatman took him out to visit the old hermit who's sole practice was repeating the same chant over and over. The young monk arrived to find the hermit chanting differently from the way he had been taught.
"Oh my said the hermit. Please teach me how to chant it correctly and then leave me so I can make up for the time I have lost."
They young monk taught the hermit the correct version of the rather long chant and then left in the boat. As the boatman rowed away from the island the monk, who was happy to have helped the old man, filled with pride. Suddenly a voice came from behind him. He turned to look and there was the old man walking along side the boat on the surface of the lake.
"How do you say the third verse again?" he asked.

From Hindusim:
There were two old mendicants waiting to ride a ferry across a river. The ferry owner told them it would cost the equivalent of a penny to cross, an amount that neither had. As the ferry left, the two sat at the river and a new crowd gathered to wait on the ferry. Suddenly one of the old mendicants stood up and walked out onto the river and across to the other side.
A business man, taken aback by the feat turned to the other medicant and said, "What can a miracle like that be worth?"
The old mendicant replied. "To him? A penny."

Anybody ever see "Being There" with Peter Sellers?

[David_Old_Jersey]

It must be a "sign" that this thread has been ressurected

Have been thinking of a name change for the boat for a little while now - I figure I have a bit of time to actually decide before the good weather arrives and we set sail........around the bay and back again!........and time also to create my own ceremony of nonsense.......to appease the gods I do not beleive in

Do boats have souls? Maybe some do, but I think not all. I have felt an affection for certain boats in the past that was greater than I would normally have for a lump of wood / fibreglass with bits attached.

My current boat? At the moment no affection, and to be honest it has also not received much TLC from me and despite the boat having a name, to me it is largely "the Boat" (and sometimes worse!). However I did visit the Chandlers last week to buy something as an offering for my neglect........

Maybe a name change from the Spanish for "Dog" will help the bonding process..........

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Maybe a name change from the Spanish for "Dog" will help the bonding process..........

You bought the dog, yes?

[Boracay]

Three priests were sitting by the side of a river discussing how to get to the other side.

The first said "It's easy. You just walk across." and with that he said a prayer, got up and walked across the river.

The third priest was a bit younger and he said the the second "Is it really that easy?".

The reply was "Yes, I'll show you." and the second priest said a prayer and walked across.

So the third priest said his very best prayer and stepped onto the water, only to find himself coughing and spluttering in the very cold water.

The first priest turned to the second and said "Maybe we should have told him where the stepping stones are.".

[Tom and Maje]

Apropos to this old thread, I met a women on my last flight from St Thomas to the States. She and her husband finally found a boat and are waiting for the survey. She told me that the boat was part of an estate where the owner had died suddenly and pre-maturely just as he was on his way to the boat to take her out. She said the boat was fully fitted. The owner had changed the boat’s name when he bought it and still had items on the boat bearing the boat’s previous name. I told her about this forum and suggested that she might want to take a look at the name changing ceremony. She looked at me an said that she wasn’t superstitious.

maje