Re-naming the boat

[Newport41]

A little removed from the topic maybe but this might make you think twice about ignoring superstition. The British Navy was having problems with sailors that wouldn;t go to sea on a friday due to it being bad luck. So, to prove that is was silly they actually named a ship HMS Friday and gave her to one Captin Friday who was orderd to set sail on Friday. Strangly enough they were never heard from again. The story comes from two different books I've read, so take it or leave it.

[sailingdog]

I agree about the nautical traditions... not necessarily being just plain superstition. Seen too many weird things happen.

Last year, a boat out of a marina near mine left for Maine on a Friday. My friend, who had helped them commission the boat, said that they had e-mailed her and said that they had broken their backstay and nearly lost the mast but I don't remember the details. I do remember that the rigging had just been inspected as part of the survey and the only part that was deemed in need of replacement was a damaged backstay... and a brand new one was installed.... yet it was the brand new one that failed. Ironically, it was the backstay replacement that prevented them from leaving on Thursday...

[ctreacy]

This is a great topic! Our family boat is named Querencia which is a Spanish word that NO ONE seems to get! From the book "Racing Through Paradise:

"The word doesn't translate. It is used in Spanish to designate that mysterious little area in the bullring that catches the fancy of the fighting bull when he charges in. He imagines it his sanctuary:when parked there, he supposes he cannot be hurt...
So it is, borrowing the term, that one can speak of one's "querencia"to mean that little, unspecified area in life's arena where one feels safe, serene."

Last year we moored in a marina that was mostly populated by fishing hobbyists (my wife used to call it "The Redneck Riviera") and most of my neighbors thought it was some play on the word "Queer". Suffice it to say, we never really found many friends among our neighbors!

Here's the trouble. The boat was named by a previous owner. That owner was my brother. If I rename the boat, I'll have some 'splanin to do! So I think I may be stuck!

[sailingdog]

CTreacy-

My friend's father told me that querencia meant "haven of the heart"...

Sounds like you need a new marina... the people down at that one sound like a fairly backwards and rather ignorant crowd.

[tigerregis]

What a beautiful thread. There are a few things I didn't get though; like Goose flying his colours at the top of his backstay and the one about Christianizing. It caused me to wonder how the Israeli Navy names their boats? There is a magazine on the Chesapeake "Nor'Easter" that has to reprint the ceremony for re-naming every spring, by request. Anyway, a rose by any other name... I have a high regard for Yankees.

[Neises]

Originally Posted by tigerregis

Christianizing.

I was hoping someone would take us there
If "christening" is to "bring to Christ", and Christian rule says "no gods before me"... Where does Neptune fall in?

I've been reading a lot about all the different traditions for different culture, and of course Vigor's denaming ceremony. The main thing to note about Vigor: He was simply 'some guy' that wanted some ceremonial verbage, just like you & I. Sure he's circumnavigated like thirty times but... Yeah.

Make peace with your spirituality, and read weather reports.

Disclaimer: I'm just a hillbilly playing around on inland lakes.

[Tacoma]

If you have bad vibes about the current name then it's definitely best to rename 'er. To be proud a captain must
giv'er a sweet name such as The Yankee Rose! How can ya go wrong?

[citation34]

Rather old thread

[nordicmyst]

I haven't met a true sailor yet whose mind isn't filled with the dreams, visions, adventures, and romance of being under sail. The name of your boat should reflect some element of that romance that has meaning for you. If that is Yankee Rose, then so be it. It certainly has overtones of the maritime world.
Nordic Myst

[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.