How to Safely Rename Your Boat

As the American Yacht Club (Rye, NY) prepares for its venerable Spring Series to be held in Long Island Sound on the weekends of April 27/28 and May 4/5, the competitors are getting ready too. One team in particular is making sure to avoid any mistakes that could plague their event.

Robert Siegel of the Stamford YC acquired last October the J/109 previously known as Tastes Like Chicken, and intends to campaign the boat this season renamed as PAX3. But recognizing that renaming a boat is serious business, here is the procedure Robert followed to avert problems:

“Since renaming a boat is considered to be very unlucky, an abbreviated Denaming Ceremony was conducted to purge the Tastes Like Chicken name from the Ledger of the Deep, and from Poseidon’s memory. This was then followed by a Renaming Ceremony, imploring Poseidon and Neptune to take PAX3 into their records, guarding her with a mighty arm and ensuring her of safe and rapid passage through her journeys within your realm.

“The renaming ceremony was followed by a ceremony to appease the winds, flinging champagne to the north, west, east and south, followed up by sailing backwards, “backing over” the old name. It should be noted that some of the champagne was also imbibed.”

A lengthy renaming protocol by Hal Burchard was published in Scuttlebutt on April 11, 2007, who also approved of the consumption of the remaining champagne. Here Hal provides his final advice:

“Once the ceremony has been completed, you may bring aboard any and all items bearing the new name of your vessel. If you must schedule the painting of the new name on the transom before the ceremony, be sure the name is not revealed before the ceremony is finished. It may be covered with bunting or some other suitable material.”

Click here for complete procedure.