MacGregorSailors.com

I've heard that there is a ritual that can be performed which allows you to change the name of a boat without angering the purveyor of bad luck. Is there more than one ritual or has the process been refined as it's passed through the ages?

Hi Terry - Try here...

http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htm

A Google will turn up a few descriptions of the ceremony, but this one has the added benefit of coming from "Boatsafe".

Yeah, thats what I did when we bought our boat. I also made sure to sterilize my liver after the maiden voyage under a new name. (Livers are evil and must be punished and/or rendered inoperable or they will colaberate with the purveyors of misfortune)

Our boat was named LynMar. 1/2 of his name and 1/2 of her name. Not a bad name but to quote Forest: "Jenny is the most beautiful name in the wide world."

Ceremony for Renaming Your Boat wrote:According to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea. It is logical therefore, if we wish to change the name of our boat, the first thing we must do is to purge its name from the Ledger of the Deep and from Poseidons memory.

Jeepers creepers. I didn't know this stuff. I bought my boat used and it never had a name. I hope there is no jinx to that!:o

Don't forget, Davey Jones is the official scribe of Neptune. I had to not only kiss his feet, but eat a cherry out of the Royal Baby's belly button upon crossing the equator. I'm sure you must placate Davey at the renaming/un-naming ceremony as well.

My un/renaming will be conducted this weekend. I wonder if Neptune will be able to tell the difference between Sparkling Cider (for the kids of course) and Champagne?

Hey Frank and Meg thanks for the site news with the correct ritual for renaming! Do you know if the ritual can be done in the harbor or does one have to be out on the high seas for the process to be legitimate?

We're thinking about changing the name of our 26X.

The original owner bought the boat and named her the "MARY T" (after his late wife, Mary Tower). His two sons saw the name on the boat and told me they thought there were too many boats with the name MARY in them, but their dad wouln't let them remove it. So, they went out and got slightly small lettering and changed the name to "MARY Time".

Now "MARY Time" is not too bad but, we'd like to be a little more original.

After you remove the name and go through the first part of the ritual do you return to land change the name and then put the boat back in the water and go through the new name process?

Got to get this right, life can be treacherous out on the high seas with good luck!

Scott wrote:Yeah, thats what I did when we bought our boat. I also made sure to sterilize my liver after the maiden voyage under a new name. (Livers are evil and must be punished and/or rendered inoperable or they will colaberate with the purveyors of misfortune)

I've got to learn that ritual.

Well understand I'm no expert here, but from my reading, you can even do it on land. You must first de-name the boat by removing or changing all the items on the boat that have the previous name. Once cleared, you can then re-name the boat. It seems important that no one see the new name until all references to the old name are gone and the Gods of the four winds have been notified by appropriate ceremony.

In any case, I think the ceremony is more about friends, fellow sailors and champagne than it is about strictly proper form. If in doubt, drink too much and change the name. Based on what I've read here, that should please Poseidon just fine...

sailpsych wrote:Don't forget, Davey Jones is the official scribe of Neptune. I had to not only kiss his feet, but eat a cherry out of the Royal Baby's belly button upon crossing the equator. I'm sure you must placate Davey at the renaming/un-naming ceremony as well.

My un/renaming will be conducted this weekend. I wonder if Neptune will be able to tell the difference between Sparkling Cider (for the kids of course) and Champagne?

Ahhh, a fellow "Shellback". I was told I had to shave my left leg as well, which I did, only to find out later that the guys were just messing with me. The feet kissing and Royal Baby's belly button are the real deal though. Good thing he's just re-naming a boat and not crossing the equator!

Norm, dude, you rube!!! Thats friggin funny.(Pardon my french)

Im sitting on the front porch with my wife, she asked me why I laughed out loud, had to relate your tale of woe.

Funny funny funny!!

I now understand why I am struggling with problems(an engine problem, a broken shroud..) after I bought my boat, I was blaming myself:)) My boat was named girls, and was very hard to announce through the wireless. I switced it to penguin. May I do the rituals now?

I read somewhere you also have to find a virgin and ask her to pee in your bilge. I wonder how you would frame that question to her? hmmm....

Slightly off-topic, but ...

Another Shellback here. The one about shaving your left leg is new to me, funny stuff! The "special trial" I got stuck with was to hold a raw, unbroken egg in my mouth for 30 minutes without breaking it - not as easy as it sounds!

Of course kissing Poseidon's feet and "receiving" a cherry from the Royal Baby's belly button were the highlight of the ceremony!

- Andy26M

Fellow shellbacks, leave us not thwart the efforts of his majesty by spoiling the ceremony for those "wogs" that have not yet been initiated by his majesty's court.

I agree that perhaps this topic should be given a course adjustment and redirected to "Traditions of the Deep."

Yours ceremoniously,

Bruce G.
Golden Shellback

Hey, thanks for all the words of wisdom, the ancient seafarers had all this wired several years ago, much like today, nothing really changes.
I talked the ritual over with my first mate and she thought we'd just have a drink and leave the name on the boat alone for a while! Terry