Name change- disaster or not??

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sparkie

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I've heard it said many times that it is very bad luck to change the name of a boat. However, some are so naff or personal that sometimes I'm sure it has to be done. Is there a magic formula/incantation/spell that will placate the angry gods and avoid disaster??


Sparkie

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I think it's said, "Change of name, change of luck".
I believe there was a thread, a while back, about a ceremony involving incantations and libations etc. Try a search.

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<font color=blue>This question rears it's head about once a quarter. If you want to be sure of avoiding bad luck, change the name while the boat is out of the water, this way the Gods do not know a vessel's name is a new one.
That is if you believe in that sort of thing... not that I do... I just don't take any chances /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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Some names I see locally

overdraft
goodbuy
shoestring

I would definately change these, here is a link for a name change ceromony, it was posted on the last visit to this subject. No offence if anyone on this forum has a boat named as above, really not my taste that's all /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htm>boat renaming ceromony</A>

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue> Julian </font color=blue>

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The way to avoid bad luck when changing a name is to give someone some good luck. - SO send me a very large cheque and all will be well.

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Just a thought,

What if you buy a boat of say 15 years of age.

You may not now how many name it has had.

Do you inherit any bad luck from their previous owners who did change the name of the boat you have just bought ?

Good Luck to all Sailors.

Steve

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You probably create your own luck - good or bad.
Claymore used to be named Freebooter and before that Saywen. I think both names are naff and so as she is a Claymore class boat I just changed to that. Without tempting either providence or fate the only bit of bad luck I've experienced was more a case of bad management and was entirely of my own making.
Change it!

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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Thanks chaps- good response- very interesting. The two "ceremonies" posted are remarkably similar, so could well be from the same original source?? As both involve supping champagne in quantity I think this is the way to go. Look out for disasters in the Irish Sea if I get it wrong!

Safe sailing

Sparkie

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Hi Sparkie. The bad luck is supposed to come from old wooden sailing ships. Each one had the name chiselled into the main beam, a bit like indelibly marking your property. Trouble was, when you came to rename the boat, you had to chisel away the wood to a fresh layer, and then carve the new name. Sailors reckoned that when this had happened a couple of times, the main beam was seriously weakened, which would make the ship unsafe. Hence, the bad luck. They would much rather crew on a boat called 'Passing Wind' than start chopping the main beam around.
That's the story, anyway, so if your boat isn't a galleon, do what you like. Remember that the coastguards have to listen to your radio transmissions, and they were unimpressed with a boat called 'Hoof Hearted.' Say it quickly, three times.

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My boat has had at least three names in its 18 years. I made the last change. We did drink some champagne on launch day but no ceremonial stuff whatsoever. Must say this has been a very lucky boat for us.

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