Boat names

[Wahoo Sails]

Before I bought my boat, I was determined that I would rename whatever I bought "Te Tao". This boat was named "Eva Luna' research proved that it was Argentinian for "birth of the new moon" ...... just too pretty to change ... so Eva Luna she will remain. Anybody got stories to share?

L S/V Eva Luna
Bob

[delmarrey]

My vessel has the same hull as a Swan 40 and the deck is fairly close as well. With a few moifications to the cockpit area and some rigging changes it would be hard to tell from a distance that it wasn't a Swan. I plan to make most of the changes to help get rid of it's racer look.

The kicker is, I thought that I would rename it the "Ugly Duckling". But probably not!

For now it's known as "TRIX" AKA "The Other Woman"
............................................._/)

[Talbot]

I think that there is only one real criteria for a boat name, and that is are you comfortable with using it on a radio circuit, and will the recipient be able to correctly write down that name.

Personnally I feel uncomfortable with renaming a ship, but tjhat is probably (crossed fingers) just superstition

[Jeff H]

I do not believe in frivolous superstition. Now then ritual, which has been proven to have definite cause and effect, such as the one about changing the name of a boat, you must respect. I am sure that some would say that this is just coincidence but of the twenty plus boats owned by myself and my family, we only changed the name of three, that was the two that lost their masts and the one that was sunk on the rocks at Fort Totten. Not a large scientific sampling mind you, but a 100% correlation sounds like cause and effect to me. I don't believe in superstition except when it can be proven by a scientific method

I once owned a boat that was named ‘Miss Blitz’ when I bought her. I thought the name was a bit too ‘Nazi’ sounding for my taste. I had decided to just call the boat, ‘Miss B.’ which I did not see as a name change but an abbreviation. The trouble was ‘Miss B.’ had no meaning. I thought about it for a while and one day decided to add the name of my previous boat as a last name. My previous boat had been called ‘Havn’ which is Scandinavian for a port of refuge (similar to the English word ‘haven’.) The boat became ‘Miss B. Havn’ and was mostly a very lucky boat for me. The choice and changing of that name lead to some funny stories. For example our main racing competition referred to her as “Missbegotten”.

One funny story with that name came when I was getting the mortgage for my first house and I went to a loan officer. She had looked at my application and noticed that the only debt that I had was my boat loan. After going over everything she said,” This all looks fine especially the fact that you have no other debts.”

Trying to be accurate, I said,” Well, actually the only expenses that I have is ‘Miss B. Havn’.”

She responded, “ I sure know what you mean!” She was a bit embarrassed when I explained that ‘Miss B. Havn’ was the name of my boat.

Another funny story about the name change occurred when I put the new name on her. I decided to add a cove stripe and to put the name on her in vinyl. I put the name and stripe on her working upside down, over the rail, while the boat was in the water. Once I had put the name and stripes on the topsides, I had wanted to see how it looked. I began to walk backwards down the dock trying to get a sense of the lettering size relative to the boat length and eventually walked backwards off the dock. Just as I realized that I was beginning to fall off the dock, I twisted my upper body around. There was a 41 footer tied to the dock right there behind me and so as I fell, I grabbed his lifelines and caught myself so that I did not actually fall in the water. I was then able to pull myself up and back onto the dock without actually getting anything except the tips of my shoes wet.

They were expanding the marina office at that time and a carpenter saw me fall off of the dock and turned to his buddies and said, "Someone fell off of the dock" but when he turned around again, I was standing on the dock perfectly dry.

As I walked up the dock to my house, I passed the carpenters and said, "You would not believe what just happened " and began to tell the story when the carpenter who had witnessed the event got excited and said, "You see, he did fall off the dock!!!!!"

[BC Mike]

The cook or new moon, I would stay with new moon. I was working on the upholstery on a large boat being built in NZ, as I was climbing aboard I knocked over the can of paint the signwriter was using to paint the name on, and the paint ran down the transom. Was he mad, he was just finishing the D for the boats name " NOMAD " BC Mike C

[tauras]

We picked up this ceremony for the renaming of our boat.
In the name of all who have sailed aboard this vessel in the past,and all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of wind and sea tofavor us with their blessing today.
Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves on the wave and mighty Aeolus guardian of the winds and all that blows before them: we offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past.
We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port.
Now therefore we submit this supplication that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known '_______________' be struck and removed from your records. Further we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the self-same priveleges she previously enjoyed.
In return for this we rededicate this vessel to thy domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject to the immutable laws of the gods of wind and sea. In consequence whereof and in good faith we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea.
Now pop the cork on a bottle of champagne and spray the whole content over the bow. Then go quietly below and enjoy another bottle yourself.
This was written by John Vigor and used to change our boat name and have had good luck with her ever since. Note use a good bottle of champagne you don't want to offend anyone.
Tauras

[sjs]

Well, I asked questions about renaming a boat a month or two or ago, and after receiving the sage adivice on this forum I, in all seriousness, being a cautious sort, employed not one but several of the ceremonies. Since then I have had every single weekend except this one involve a thunderstorm or other foul weather, have been caught every single time trying to round a point into the teeth of a blow, with a lee shore threatining, commercial traffic converging, a narrow channel with shoals all around, and large power boats racing in a manner that seemed as though they were intentional trying to swamp my small craft, and have found the currents or seas unfavorable. I am happy to report, that despite my meager skills, my vessel weathered it all and did so despite me. I am no pagan. Still, . . . there is something to this business of appeasing the sea Gods.

[Talbot]

sjs once whispered in the wind:
employed not one but several of the ceremonies. Since then I have had every single weekend except this one involve a thunderstorm or other foul weather, have been caught every single time trying to round a point into the teeth of a blow, with a lee shore threatining, commercial traffic converging, a narrow channel with shoals all around, and large power boats racing in a manner that seemed as though they were intentional trying to swamp my small craft, and have found the currents or seas unfavorable. [/B]

Imagine what the weather would have been like if you hadn't managed to appease the gods somwhat

[CSY Man]

Present boat kept her name as she changed hands.

No need to take a change on pieing off King Neptun or his deputies...Or shock horror....Draugen..The guy in the deep.

At any rate, previous boat was a headace:

When we found her, sitting pretty at anchor in St. Croix, she was named "Dorothy L. Fitzgerald"..Try to say that 3 times on the radio..
Dotty Fizz for short....But even that did not ring a bell.

Checked into the history of the boat and found that her maiden name was "Katingo", Greek nick name for Katherine.

We figured it would be safe to change back, heck it may even bring luck...So we did, and so we had...I guess, No Katingo on the rocks, but other old boat problems popped up with regular intervals, but that, as they say, is a different story.

[harryrezz]

My wife, Isabella (Bella for short) loves emeralds. Knowing that you can have anything you want, but you can't have everything you want, she decided that she'd really rather have a "real" boat, so we decided that whatever we bought we'd change the accent color and canvas to green and rename it "Bella's Emerald".
HOWEVER, when the real time came we decided that we really liked the deep red and off white in which our boat was painted and the name "La Nostra" seemed to fit how we felt about her. (It is Italian - my primary heritage - and roughly translates as "Ours" in the all-encompassing sense - like stretching out your arms to emfold all that which is around you and saying "ours" - as in "this is our place" or "this is our world".
So, no name change - and nothing but good luck with the boat (so far!)

[djakunda]

Wild pig hunting is a favorite pastime out west
from where I live. These boys also like to do a
spot of fishing. One of them has named their boat
"Pork Hunter"
.....does not sound real good over the radio.

[orcabait]

In a harbor I used to work at on boat was called "Sweetie Pie" another "One Hot Mama". One day I heard one call the other on the radio - a deep gravely fishermans voice saying "Sweetie Pie, this is One hot Mama!" Got a good laugh over that!

[Vasco]

Ever tried to hail a boat named "Quack"?

[seaquesta]

I have had a number of boats and a number of lady friends, many of which I should have named the boat after. But, after five girl friends named Debbie, all having the middle name starting with an "L", most of which did not like the name Debbie so, I called then DeberL. A horse named Debutante too so, I named a sloop "DeberL VI".
I do or did a lot of racing and most of the boats were other peoples but, when I began owning a few I named them all, "One Of A Bunch". I am from a large family, when I won someone would ask who won. The answer was "one of a bunch", when someone asked which one I liked the most, I answered, "the One I am on." I could go on.
My present boat a Pearson 365 ketch was the product of a retired couple whom commissioned her to sail around the world. My passion for the wind and this boat came together after they completed one and a half times around the world. He became old, then ill and passed on, his Mrs. returned home to the place of their children. They put her up for sale and she is "Mariah" still.
here's to the past and the present. The love for the world marine, the waves of far off seas and the comradeship of the sailor of all vessels of any name.

So, I also have a power boat now too and going with the tradition that you should name your boat after you're lady, I named her "After You!"

[Pleiades]

When I was a young lad I intended to call the boat of my dreams "Electra" when and if I eventually found her, because, in my mind, that name conjured images of grace, beauty and a connection to something eternal, something larger-than-life.

Sailing is one of the very few things that I have enjoyed in reality more than in my imagination. All my life, I have been in love with Nautor's Swan, but never dreamed I would one day own one. By a stroke of grace, my third and current boat is a Swan 41 named, "Pleiades".

You are no doubt aware that in Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Zeus: Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Merope, Maia, Taygeta and ... Electra.

Destiny! You see, I got all seven!