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SV Blown Away · 25-07-2021, 16:01

YES! And we’re still alive and the boat’s still floating! Permission to proceed

chris mac · 25-07-2021, 21:39

We are fourth owners, and fourth name. As long as you show her respect and look after her, she will look after you

**Dockhead** · 26-07-2021, 00:49

I'm not superstitious, of course.

However, when I bought my present boat, the old name couldn't be left. It was too -- impudent. Boat names should be modest, and cute is good too. Not because of superstition (however, we do know what happened to the "Titanic", don't we?) but because of aesthetics.

I had never renamed a boat before. Just for fun, because I'm not superstitious at all, we did have a little ceremony where you say some words, pour some wine on the bow, pour some wine in the direction of each of the four winds. Unfortunately I had a brain lapse and confused the compass directions. I'm not superstitous at all, so no problem.

We sailed out and down the Solent, and this was to be the first time I would leave the Solent in a boat, passing through the Needles Channel, which looked fearsome on the chart (now after having been through it hundreds of times, it doesn't seem so bad anymore), with shoals and rocks and strong tidal currents (avoid wind over tide!). On that day, the course out the channel was dead downwind, in near gale-force conditions, so my plan was to douse the sails and motor out so I wouldn't have to worry about gybing in the channel (which is not as narrow as it seemed to me, but anyway).

So we pass Hurst Castle, and I take in the mainsail, then turn the key to start the motor. Nothing. Turn again. Nothing. The engine won't start. So I put the mainsasil back out, turn around, and start tacking back into the Solent to gain time to figure out the problem. The tide is increasing and our tacks are getting wider and wider over ground. Then on the radio, the Coast Guard -- "gale force winds, starting NOW." I was checking all the breakers, tracing all the wires, checked the battery, jumped from the generator battery -- nothing. I gave up, and sailed out deeply reefed through the North Channel past Hurst Castle and into Poole Bay, hove to, and spent a couple of hours trying to solve the problem. Nothing.

I'm not superstitious at all, of course.

Maybe a year later I found out that the problem was the notorious Yanmar weak starter solenoid current problem, solved by adding a relay. The one thing I didn't try was jumping the solenoid -- dumb.

Mirage35 · 26-07-2021, 03:42

Renamed the boat with no ceremony and no problems.

Of course I did sometime earlier make a deal with the Norse gods while visiting Iceland, so that may have helped. Can't get into the details as it would void the contract.

DougM · 26-07-2021, 13:33

careful parsing the replies in this thread there is survivor bias in the replies ...

SV WELDER · 26-07-2021, 19:16

Okay so this is great intel. I will be brave in renaming if forced to do so. I will use the good hooch, and make much ado. I especially like the ideas about name brevity. So, along those lines of radio calling and such, boat named YOLO is a good one lol. Or, LOL!

**JPA Cate** · 26-07-2021, 20:00

We knew a guy named Bob. His boat was named "Bob" also. I imagine you could say, "bravo, oscar, bravo" really fast, if you wanted to!

I like, LOL. or even Loll. And of course, Yolo works, too.

Ann

Beneteau2011 · 26-07-2021, 20:12

Renamed my first boat I bought, when I was in my twenties, it was a 30ft cruiser, without issue, and without ceremony. I asked the owner why he named the boat what he did and he told me it’s his wife’s name.

It was named Kelly Ann — when I bought the boat, the owner offered to help me take it from his slip, through a set of locks, and right to my slip — the trip would take a couple of days and he thought it was a good way for him to say goodbye.

He showed up with a woman, who was not named Kelly Ann, and I didn’t ask questions — may have helped me get past any remorse in the boat renaming game.

MikeHoncho · 26-07-2021, 20:28

Old name was Wind Spirit, new is Sojourner. Re-named with a heat gun and a scraper, followed up with a captains hours of dark rum shots with equal shares to Poseidon. Everyone happy.......had a excellent trip of four days with no issues.

SV WELDER · 26-07-2021, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We knew a guy named Bob. His boat was named "Bob" also. I imagine you could say, "bravo, oscar, bravo" really fast, if you wanted to!

I like, LOL. or even Loll. And of course, Yolo works, too.

Ann

Actually live right next to a boat named bob (big old boat) she’s a big ass ocean tug 100yr old.

oslokid · 26-07-2021, 23:02

I didn't do it. OK...I'm not superstitious. Maybe a little. PO named the boat for some Hawaiian crap. Me being a Nordic type thought maybe some cute Norse would be better. Foggettaboutit. So instead, I wear loud Hawaiian shirts and live with it. Oh well.. get over it. Not taking any chances. So far so good.

**Hudson Force** · 27-07-2021, 03:09

Of my five boats the only one I didn't rename was the one I bought new. Any misfortunes were minor and my own doing. Ascribing fates to the supernatural is absurd.

danstanford · 27-07-2021, 05:06

Many years ago I saw a Trojan power boat helmed by two Guys dressed up like Roman Legionnaires at 8:30 in the morning having a great time. The boat was named Sir Osis Of The River.