The Naming. It's a very important part of owning a new sailboat. And very controversial. Do you rename it? Do you live with the old name? Is it bad luck to rename a sailboat? After some brief, but intense, internet searching it seems that conventional sailing wisdom says that it is very, very bad luck to rename a sailboat. However, most sailors want to rename their new sailboat anyways. So, in order to be able to rename the sailboat, and avoid being forever cursed, it is important to have a Renaming Ceremony. A Renaming Ceremony can vary widely, but must, according to the trusty internet, include the following:
a) Removing all traces of the previous name of the vessel (possibly including burning something with the old name on it).
b) Asking nicely, pleading with, or otherwise entreating whatever Gods or deities of the Sea/Ocean/Lake and Winds that you deem important (and try not to forget any! You may make them mad!) to accept the new name of the vessel.
c) Giving an offering of your favorite booze to the aforementioned Gods or deities and sprinkling some somewhere on the boat while saying the new name.
d) Then of course partaking of said booze with all the friends and dockmates you can muster together.
The name the our boat came with, "Yankee Spirit," wasn't really our style. Not that we're not patriotic... maybe it was the graphics that turned us off to the name...
An eagle exploding out of a flag is a little loud for us. Well, whatever it was that we didn't like about "Yankee Spirit", now that we knew we could avoid the Renamed-Sailboat-Curse, we decided that we would be renaming her. After weeks of brainstorming, and brain-wracking, we weren't any closer to coming up with a name that both of us loved and thought suited our first sailboat. Finally, exasperated, John said, "You know, we're going to have to name this boat Eventually..." It was just one of those moments. We looked at each other, gauged our own reaction against the look on the other's face, and then... shrugged. Yes, we would have to name her, "Eventually..." It's a little corny, I know, but sometimes that just can't be helped.
And so, a few weekends later, we hauled coolers full of beer and champagne down the long ramp to our slip, and officially pleaded with all the Gods of the sea and the wind, to know and accept this vessel, forevermore, as "Eventually..."
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