Is it Bad Luck to Change Names of Used Boats?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Trebek1

Never thought about that aspect of it. How could sailing on a Friday bring bad luck if one was not Christian???

While reading about the Friday superstition, I noticed a few others: Bringing Red heads aboard is unlucky. Bringing a priest on board is unlucky. Whistling on a ship will call up a storm. Black cats onboard are considered lucky. And nailing a wooden naked lady with wide-open eyes, to the bow will ward off storms... Fascinating stuff eh?

Not forgeting the Silver Coin at the base of the mast where it steps the keel.....
Thinking about it... sailing on a Friday allways worked well for the Vikings.... they raped and pillaged the hell out of the silly Christians who hadn't ....lol...

[TexSail]

Originally Posted by Trebek1

Laugh all you want... Take the piss... Whatever! But you can't change the old rules of sailing. Don't change the name of your ship (Ask the Merrimac?), and don't ever start your voyage on a Friday...


don't leave your hat on a bed either.....

This struck a nerve. My great great grandfather, Andrew Jackson Sharp, was the last survivor of this first battle of the ironclads, having served as a gunner on the CSS Virginia, nee Merrimac. He was just 22 when he joined the Confederate military and his military career was unremarkable other than that he lived until 1928 (helped raise my dad after dad's mom died) and that he wrote a piece detailing how excess alcohol consumption had caused some ugly errors to be made (the battle was fought to a draw). The following is excerpted from a Handbook of Texas article about his son, who served on the Texas Supreme Court for many years:

"Judge Sharp was one of nine children of Andrew Jackson Sharp (1838–1928) who had been a gunner in the famous duel between the Monitor and the Merrimac (renamed C.S.S. Virginia), in March 1862 in Hampton Roads, Virginia. His account of the battle included a graphic description of the scuttling of the Virginia in which alcohol played a disastrous part. After the war he returned briefly to the family farm in Alabama, found it grown up in little pine trees instead of cotton, married his pre-war sweetheart in Louisiana, then migrated to Texas in a wagon train, finally settling in Robertson County in an area known as Beck's Prairie. He became a successful farmer and lived to be the oldest survivor of the Monitor-Merrimac battle, an event which rendered wooden warships in the world obsolete."

[bangkaboat]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

"Prissy Pants Prissy Pants Prissy Pants- this is s/v Beth over"
"Mike do you really have Prissy Pants? over"
(at this point I have to put the mike down and break out in hysterical laughter)

Could be worse. your boat could be named "Bhendover".

In all seriousness, I respect the superstitions I know and, obviously, am ignorant of those I do not. I haven't cared for the names on any of the boats I've owned, but I wouldn't change them, ceremony or not. I won't begin a voyage on a Friday. As for women on board; of course I was being a smart-ass, the more the merrier, red-heads especially welcome, as long as my wife is ok with it. In fact, I always encourage my male friends to bring their wives/girlfriends along, as I believe sailing is more enjoyable as a couples/family sport.
Mike

[s/v Beth]

I too try to keep sailing traditions, as I feel a lot of them are based in fact. But I will call my boat what I think she should be named. My boats are named after the beautiful women in my life. And that is the way they are documented. One life, one love and a deep respect for the sea and those that sail her. These are traditions I can live with.
BTW-sorry about the above (prissy pants) comment. It just caught me the wrong way- I guess boat naming is closer to my heart than I thought.

[Trebek1]

Nice History lesson Texsail. I researched the scuttleing of the CSS Virginia, and learned that they were forced to scuttle it under the circumstance of the particular orders that the Virginia was forced to act on. It seems that the biggest issue was the 20 foot depth of the Vessel, and that since she couldnt cross the bar to the St/ James RiVer, where she was ordered to enter this left her without a port. Unfortunately, the Virginia, with her 20 foot draft, was not an open ocean boat!!!! She had no open port in her area, couldnt go out to sea; so they had no choice but to scuttle her. I agree with your ancestor that alchohol had something to do with all this. Cool that your related to one of the Merrimacs sailors.

[bangkaboat]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

BTW-sorry about the above (prissy pants) comment. It just caught me the wrong way- I guess boat naming is closer to my heart than I thought.

No worries, Newt, all in good fun!

[Trebek1]

Could be worse. your boat could be named "Bhendover".

In all seriousness, I respect the superstitions I know and, obviously, am ignorant of those I do not. I haven't cared for the names on any of the boats I've owned, but I wouldn't change them, ceremony or not. I won't begin a voyage on a Friday. As for women on board; of course I was being a smart-ass, the more the merrier, red-heads especially welcome, as long as my wife is ok with it. In fact, I always encourage my male friends to bring their wives/girlfriends along, as I believe sailing is more enjoyable as a couples/family sport.
Mike

Well said brother Bang: Just don't lea^e your hat on the bed and you'll probably be fine. I do recommend the boat re-naming party and ritual though.

[Canibul]

After reading all this, again, I thought I would do some research on the original topic of whether or not it is bad luck to change the name of used boats.

I was very scientific about it. We took the stealth Hobie Mirage drive kayak down to one of the marinas and silently pedaled it around, looking for used boats. We found at least a half dozen likely candidates. Then, we spray painted white over the boat names on the transoms. Some of the names peeled off ( is vinyl expensive?) and some I had to use acetone and paint stripper on. two needed screwdrivers, cause the names were routed into these big mahogany boards, gold painted, etc.

We then stencilled on the new names we chose for the boats. We were drinking at the time, so some of the names got a little risque, perhaps, ( Are Phuquehoff, ButtBandit, and Bloguehob out of bounds?) but hey, its all in the interest of scientific research and I figure yachty types probably have a sense of humor, and all.

We don't have any results yet. We will give it a few days, and then go back to that marina and see if any of the boat owners had any bad luck since we changed the names of their boats.....

[s/v Beth]

Run Canibul! And change the name of your boat! We will see how P-hoff and B-bandit do in the open ocean! Is there a punishment for boat graffiti in the Caribbean?

[sbenest]

I'm not sure about the boat name changes, but what are you guys drinking?

[Geminidawn]

Hmmm........ Good question, well if history is anything to go by it didn't work out too well for "The Amazon" (Mary Celeste).
IMHO the whole bad luck to change names came form the early days of the 16th centruary by the EiTC in an effort to cut down on racketeering, bureaucracy and fraud.

[sbenest]

Originally Posted by Geminidawn

Hmmm........ Good question, well if history is anything to go by it didn't work out too well for "The Amazon" (Mary Celeste).
IMHO the whole bad luck to change names came form the early days of the 16th centruary by the EiTC in an effort to cut down on racketeering, bureaucracy and fraud.

Hi GD,
Educate me - what is EiTC

[Geminidawn]

Originally Posted by sbenest

Hi GD,
Educate me - what is EiTC

East India Trading Company 1600 - 1873 A lot of the Captains and Officers were educated but the average sailor of that period couldn't even read, such superstitions would of been generated to scare them into submission.

[sbenest]

Ah of course!
Whats the weather like up there in Ireland?

[Laidback]

I like the name Geminidawn - have a friend whose boat is named Templedawn, and remember well when he towed my Catamaran back to our marina in bad weather when a fishing net could not be removed from the 2 props.
For a Pahi 63 how about Polynesian Tahition boat name:-