re-copied from Islander site:
This copied from 48North archives. I don't know how
authoritative it is, but it's a lot of fun:
Vigor's Interdenominational
Boat Denaming Ceremony
by John Vigor
Due to an overwhelming number of requests for copies
of John Vigor's Interdenominational Boat Denaming
Ceremony, we are rerunning it again. Now, take care to
save this one!
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I once knew a man in Florida who told me he'd owned 24
different yachts and renamed every single one of them.
"Did it bring you bad luck?" I asked.
"Not that I'm aware of," he said. "You don't believe
in those old superstitions, do you?"
Well, yes. Matter of fact, I do. And I'm not alone.
Actually, it's not so much being superstitious as
being v-e-r-y careful. It's an essential part of good
seamanship.
Some years ago, when I wanted to change the name of my
newly purchased 31-foot sloop from Our Way to
Freelance, I searched for a formal "denaming ceremony"
to wipe the slate clean in preparation for there-
renaming. I read all the books, but I couldn't find
one. What I did learn, though, was that such a
ceremony should consist of five parts: an invocation,
an expression of gratitude, a supplication, a
re-dedication and a libation. So I wrote my own short
ceremony. Vigor's inter-denominational denaming
ceremony. It worked perfectly. Freelance carried me
and my family many thousands of deep-sea miles both
north and south of the equator, and we enjoyed good
luck all the way. I used the same ceremony recently to
change the name of my newly acquired Santana 22 from
Zephyr to Tagati, a Zulu word that means "magic," or
"bewitched." We're hoping she'll sail like a witch
when I finally get her in the water this summer after
an extensive refit.
I'll give you the exact wording of Vigor's denaming
ceremony, but first you must remove all physical
traces of the boat's old name. Take the old log book
ashore, along with any other papers that bear the old
name. Check for offending books and charts with the
name inscribed. Be ruthless. Sand away the old name
from the lifebuoys, transom, top-side, dinghy, and
oars. Yes, sand it away. Painting over is not good
enough. You're dealing with gods here, you understand,
not mere dumb mortals. If the old name is carved or
etched, try to remove it or, at the very minimum, fill
it with putty and then paint over. And don't place the
new name anywhere on the boat before the denaming
ceremony is carried out. That's just tempting fate.
How you conduct the ceremony depends entirely on you.
If you're the theatrical type, and enjoy appearing in
public in your yacht club blazer and skipper's cap,
you can read it with flair on the foredeck before a
gathering of distinguished guests. But if you find
this whole business faintly silly and embarrassing,
and only go along with it because you're scared to
death of what might happen if you don't, you can skulk
down below and mumble it on your own. That's perfectly
okay. The main thing is that you carry it out. The
words must be spoken.
I compromised by sitting in Tagati's cockpit with the
written-out ceremony folded into a newspaper, so that
any passerby would think I was just reading the news
to my wife, sitting opposite. Enough people think I'm
nuts already. Even my wife has doubts. The last part
of the ceremony, the libation, must be performed at
the bow, just as it is in a naming ceremony. There are
two things to watch out for here. Don't use
cheap-cheap champagne, and don't try to keep any for
yourself. Buy a second bottle if you want some. Use a
brew that's reasonably expensive, based on your
ability to pay, and pour the whole lot on the boat.
One of the things the gods of the sea despise most is
meanness, so don't try to do this bit on the cheap.
What sort of time period should elapse between this
denaming ceremony and a new naming ceremony? There's
no fixed time. You can do the renaming right after the
denaming, if you want, but I personally would prefer
to wait at least 24 hours to give any lingering demons
a chance to clear out. (Scroll down for the wording of
the ceremony.)
Afterwards
Now you can pop the cork, shake the bottle and spray
the whole of the contents on the bow. When that's
done, you can quietly go below and enjoy the other
bottle yourself. Incidentally, I had word from a
friend last month that the Florida yachtsman I
mentioned earlier had lost his latest boat, a 22-foot
trailer-sailer. Sailed her into an overhead power
line. Fried her. She burned to the waterline. Bad
luck? Not exactly. He and his crew escaped unhurt. He
was just very careless. He renamed her, as usual,
without bothering to perform Vigor's famous
interdenominational denaming ceremony. And this time,
at long last, he got what he deserved.
Vigor's Denaming Ceremony
"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship
in the past, and in the name of all who may sail
aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods
of the wind and the sea to favor us with their
blessing today.
"Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves in or on the
waves; and mighty Aeolus (pronounced EE-oh-lus),
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, wherefore, 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 selfsame
privileges she previously enjoyed.
"In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to
your domain in full knowledge that she shall be
subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of
the wind and the sea.
"In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal
this pact with a libation offered according to the
hallowed ritual of the sea."
CLICK HERE for Printable Page of Vigor's Denaming
Ceremony Christening Ceremony
After a boat is denamed, you simply need to rename it
using the traditional christening ceremony, preferably
with Queen Elizabeth breaking a bottle of champagne on
the bow, and saying the words:
"I name this ship ___________ and may she bring fair
winds and good fortune to all who sail on her."
John Vigor, a resident of Bellingham, Wash., is a
boating writer and editor. The denaming ceremony above
is contained in his book "How to Rename Your Boat ..
and 19 Other Useful Ceremonies, Superstitions,
Prayers, Rituals, and Curses" (Paradise Cay) and is
available from
www.paracay.com.
His other books include:
The Practical Mariner’s Book of Knowledge
(International Marine)
The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat (International Marine)
Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere (Paradise
Cay)
Boatowner’s Handbook (International Marine)
The Practical Encyclopedia of Boating (International
Marine)
Small Boat to Freedom (The Lyons Press)
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