[LarryandSusanMacDonald]

The story I've been told, or read somewhere, or otherwise somehow got stuck in my head was that pirates were very superstitious. They would steal a ship and rename it and it was hard to prove to whom it belonged. So the British spread the rumor that it was bad luck to change the name on a ship or the sea gods would go all nutso on you. The superstitious pirates believed it - refused to change the name and then, obviously, eventually got caught. Clever?

So whatever you choose to believe and we are all victims of the lies we choose to believe, I believe a name changing ceremony calls for a party with ritual (cheap) booze offered to the gods of wind and sea, be they greek gods, roman gods, or gods from New Jersey - do the whole ritual thing - get somebody to dress up as King Neptune, expunge all of the old name, everybody have a drink. Offer a sprinkle to the god of wind (Aeolus is the greek one, no idea who the Roman wind god is - fartimus, maybe) and everybody has a drink. Offer a sprinkle to the god of the sea (Neptune and/or Poseidon) and everybody has a drink, etc, etc.

Pretty soon, nobody can remember the old name on the boat. And when you wake up the next morning, your new boat name is spelled funny. And is crooked on the transom. And you don't care. You just want some alka seltzer.

That's what we did, and we didn't sink... yet.