Renaming a Sailing Vessel

[Eric Gordon]

As I progress through the various stages of boat ownership (this Ericsson 27 is my first boat), I am preparing to consider a new name for her.

I have read numerous articles on the so-called "re-naming process" and it is quite interesting. What is, I surmise, most important (according to some), is to ensure appeasement of Neptune.

Do any of you have any thoughts or experiences or advice in renaming your boat?

Thanks
Eric

 

[Eric Gordon]

Ps-

I was going to name her LonoKai, but am working on a new name commensurate with a lifestyle blog I'm starting with a family member..thats why my EY.o name is Lonokai. But, I drone on.....

 

[Loren Beach]

A few years ago at a Rendezvous @ Pt Townsend, we were treated to a veritable hum dinger of a renaming. Glyn Judson should be checking in with some details.
Helmets with horns were involved.
Also black shorts with red hearts on them.... sort of a passionate viking motif... sort of...


Great link for some background and the wording.
http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/naming.php

Regards,
Loren

 

[Emerald]

Prior owner of one of my parent's boats renamed her without performing a ceremony. He died on the boat. :0 I consider a proper renaming pretty imperative. One of the things that is often done is to take some small trinket off the boat and cast it to Neptune as part of the ceremony. Even a screw run out of something should do. I take no chances on this stuff.

I would add when picking a name, think of something that is intelligible when announced on the VHF. If you're in trouble or trying to have a serious exchange where identifying your vessel is crucial, it helps if it's a name that people can say/recognize/makes sense - this ain't the time for cute IMHO.

 

[GrandpaSteve]

Prior owner of one of my parent's boats renamed her without performing a ceremony. He died on the boat. :0 I consider a proper renaming pretty imperative. One of the things that is often done is to take some small trinket off the boat and cast it to Neptune as part of the ceremony. Even a screw run out of something should do. I take no chances on this stuff.

I would add when picking a name, think of something that is intelligible when announced on the VHF. If you're in trouble or trying to have a serious exchange where identifying your vessel is crucial, it helps if it's a name that people can say/recognize/makes sense - this ain't the time for cute IMHO.

"He died on the boat." - So things worked out ok?

 

[Emerald]

"He died on the boat." - So things worked out ok?

depends on your perspective - my parents got a great buy out of his estate sale. Not sure how he felt about it though....

and for those just dying to know (ugh!), it was a Tartan 34, he had mounted a generator on top of the settee that covers the engine, and he got drunk, took a diver down the companionway and cracked his head open on the generator. Pretty grim stuff when you get down to it. The boat's name was Esmeralda at that point, and we didn't dare change it.

 

[Eric Gordon]

RE: Renaming my Boat

Allright....none of this is inspiring confidence....If I anger Neptune, who knows what fate awaits. That said...while cleaning the boat this past weekend, I happened upon a very small (about 1/2") bronze or copper trinket of Neptune. It is one of the few things the PO left on the boat that I decided to keep, just in case. Perhaps it is something to leave on the boat, so that Neptune knows who's in charge...... In any case, I shall read the appropriate ceremonial documentation and proceed once I have her cleaned and ready to sail the seas. The PO named her for his dead lizard....

 

[Emerald]

[snip] The PO named her for his dead lizard....

well, I think Neptune would be OK changing that.... I'm assuming you've come across Vigor's ceremony? I think you're probably pretty good if you follow it:

http://www.johnvigor.com/Denaming.html

 

[bgary]

I'm sorting through this, too, and from what I've read one of the most important aspects is the "de-naming" ceremony, prior to the "re-naming" ceremony.

(from John Vigor's ceremony, linked above)

It is - apparently - important to Neptune that the prior name be stricken from his rolls, so that the gods of the sea will recognize the boat by her new name when she travels their domain.

I'm advised that it is important to ensure that all instances of the old name be removed from the boat - log-books, call-sign reminders, whatever - before any instance of the new name is put on board.

One would not want to tempt fate by confusing the Gods of the Deep (tm) about how to recognize her.

So much to keep track of! (and, for me, a bit bittersweet, because the prior name is such a huge part of this boat's heritage).

Oh... and it is apparently *very* important, to have good quality libations, and plenty of them.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I would add when picking a name, think of something that is intelligible when announced on the VHF. If you're in trouble or trying to have a serious exchange where identifying your vessel is crucial, it helps if it's a name that people can say/recognize/makes sense - this ain't the time for cute IMHO.

So you'd advise against a name such as "May Day," for instance?

 

[bgary]

I would add when picking a name, think of something that is intelligible when announced on the VHF.

And, if not "obvious", is easy to spell out with the phonetic alphabet.

(I learned the importance of that while racing on a boat called "cynosure".... it was amazing how many different things people "heard" when that was called out over VHF)

 

[Vagabond39]

Names

I had an interesting afternoon, on a simular subject. I was talking with a government engineer about a project, and asked what the project name was an ACRONYM for. And spent the rest of the afternoon listening to a lecture on GREEK Mythlogy.
The design worked as desired. The deployment was the disaster.
Bob

 

[bgary]

I had an interesting afternoon, on a simular subject. I was talking with a government engineer about a project, and asked what the project name was an ACRONYM for. And spent the rest of the afternoon listening to a lecture on GREEK Mythlogy.

When I used to run IT projects, one of the "perks" of the job was picking the project names. A few of the acronyms got me in trouble.

Marketing, in particular, didn't like Project YAWAMI ("Yet Another Wild-Ass Marketing Idea").

In fact, the only job I ever got fired from was over an acronym. I once worked (teaching sailing) at the Sea Scout camp in Newport Beach. Each week of the camp season, we would invite some exemplary camper to come back the following week as a "junior counselor". Or, as the t-shirt said, a "Staff Helper In Training". Apparently one of the moms was not amused...

</drift>

 

[Emerald]

. Or, as the t-shirt said, a "Staff Helper In Training". Apparently one of the moms was not amused...

</drift>

Love it - they should have given you a promotion and gotten a second T for the mom

:cartmann:

 

[JPS27]

In fact, the only job I ever got fired from was over an acronym. I once worked (teaching sailing) at the Sea Scout camp in Newport Beach. Each week of the camp season, we would invite some exemplary camper to come back the following week as a "junior counselor". Or, as the t-shirt said, a "Staff Helper In Training". Apparently one of the moms was not amused...

</drift>

I for one would love it if my kid came home with a t-shirt like that. I remember my dad's hometown summer league softball team in Maine calling themselves the Seal Harbor Independent Tigers. And they just put the acronym on their backs.

As far as boat naming my E27 was named MJ (as in MaryJane), after contemplating all the initial bad luck with that name and the feeling that that name was just inviting a USCG boarding, I just renamed the boat Southpaw with no pomp nor circumstance. And the name sounds 'cool' to me when I do use my radio :nerd:

 

[bgary]

that name was just inviting a USCG boarding

Yup. raced on a boat called Coruba (after the owner's favorite kind of rum), and the tender's name was "Rum Runner". Can't begin to tell you how many times the tender was pulled over for a "courtesy inspection" while transiting between Seattle and Victoria or the San Juans.

They do, apparently, pay attention to what goes out over the radio.

 

[mfield]

I believe there is something about removing the coins from under the mast step and replacing them when you change the name.

Should be easier on an E27 than some boats

 

[toddster]

When I used to run IT projects, one of the "perks" of the job was picking the project names. A few of the acronyms got me in trouble.

Marketing, in particular, didn't like Project YAWAMI ("Yet Another Wild-Ass Marketing Idea").

In fact, the only job I ever got fired from was over an acronym. I once worked (teaching sailing) at the Sea Scout camp in Newport Beach. Each week of the camp season, we would invite some exemplary camper to come back the following week as a "junior counselor". Or, as the t-shirt said, a "Staff Helper In Training". Apparently one of the moms was not amused...

</drift>

I've only been on a couple of projects that we named with acronyms, because they were likely to get a lot of media exposure. One of them, I simply made up and dared anyone to come up with a better one. (Actually, I offered a case of beer.) The other was chosen in an excruciating long committee meeting. And then, because it was a NASA project, of course it had to have a "mission patch" which took all night

These days, I pretty much stick with the serial number system. This was mandated at a former employer after one of the managers toured potential client "Jones" around the premises for a visit, and neglected to tell people to hide all the charts and files prominently labeled "Smith Project" (Smith and Jones being arch competitors...) Oh, but that might work for a boat name as well. "Project 7138." You could charge all sorts of "deductible" expenses to it! "Oh, sorry I can't make your meeting this afternoon. Gotta work on Project 7138!"

In fact... Well... Nah... I suppose a girl might get kind of mad if you started calling her "Project 2469."

 

[bgary]

When I lived in Redondo Beach, there was a used-car lot with a big sign out front that proclaimed they were the "South Coast Auto Mart".

I've always wondered whether they thought about the acronym. Would be funny if they did. Sort of.

 

[Loren Beach]

"I'm out at the job site"

There was an Ericson 34 or 35-3 (forget which model) at the rendezvous at Sidney BC a few years ago named "Job Site 2"...
I recall that that the owner did indeed have a construction company.


Loren