What’s in a name?

Well if all the chatter is to be believed there is quite a lot in a name, especially when it comes to changing it, which is widely considered to be bad luck.  After some reading around, it feels like it comes down to a mix of superstition, old wives tales & a little bit of science. 

First, the science & a brief peek at history… Back at the start of time, boats were primarily made of wood & the name was carved into the hull (boat term for the body of the boat), which meant that to change the name you had to sand down the hull to remove the old name and carve in the new one. Thus weakening the structural integrity of the boat. It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to see how we get from ‘a comprised hull’ to ‘it’s bad luck to change the name of a boat’ and an old wives tail/superstition is born. 

Fact: changing the name/re-registering & re-flagging a boat is a monumental logistical & financial pain in the ass. There are tonnage surveys (a slightly archaic concept of working out the cargo capacity, dating back to when all boats were custom built), carving plates (a plate that is permanently affixed to the vessel’s main beam marked with the official number & registered tonnage). Then there is the fun task of removing the previous decals & polishing out the sun etched outlines & putting on new decals. Next, you need to provide documentation & photographic proof that this has all been done. Only then are you issued with a certificate of registration (a bit of paper that says the boat has been registered at a particular port, in our case Jersey) It’s time for the real fun to begin, with a trip into non-territorial waters  (12 nautical miles offshore/away from land) Here the old boat name dies & is banished to the depths of the ocean to be spoken of no more  & a new boat is born (queue large amounts of bubbly being poured overboard, to appease the gods, more on that below) Finally it’s time to head to port, entering on your new boat name. It’s off to the customs & immigration office so that you can be issued with new paperwork made out to the new name. oh, gawd…. why!!!

Superstition or not… we have decided that it’s best to keep the god’s sea & wind on side. So we will be indulging in a naming ceremony also known as a little shindig where copious amounts of bubbly is consumed, mostly by Poseidon & his windy chums Boreas (North), Zephyrus (West), Eurus (East) & Notus (South).

It’s all in the name

Why change the name at all & why Nautilus?

 The previous owner was Smitten with his cat-amaran & wanted to keep the name. So the hunt was on for us to come up with something new. We toyed with the idea of calling her Milo after our gorgeous pup who passed away in Jan 2021, but he hated the water & it felt mean to immortalise him as a yacht. Next we turned to google translate, hunting for interesting sounding African words (due to my South African heritage) for things like ‘adventure’, ‘wanderlust’, ‘journey’, ‘sailing’ …. you get the gist. We found some great words, but would they work over the VHF & could we spell them phonetically in an emergency? Hmmm, maybe not.

Back to the drawing board. What about naming her after a sea creature? Bingo…. We found the nautilus.  As a mollusc it’s amazing, it uses jet propulsion & the shell adheres to the Fibonacci’s sequence. The word nautilus is derived from the Greek word nautílos which literally means “sailor”. And who could forget the infamous  literary reference of the nautilus, Jules Verne’s submarine, from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. And thus Nautilus was born. 

What about the tender (the dingy that you use to get to shore when you’re at anchor) Officially she’s call ‘TT (Tender too) Nautilus’ but that’s just no fun. We decided to call her Nemo, no not the wee clownfish, but the captain of Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (we like a bit of continuity). Also because of ‘Point Nemo’ It’s an invisible spot in the vast Southern Ocean furthest from land, in any direction. When a boats passed Point Nemo they are closer to astronauts on the space station than to other humans on Planet Earth. How amazing is that? 

The ceremony

This is the ceremony that we used.

Purging!

The official ceremony, in which you address Poseidon himself, calls for good champagne, and good friends as witnesses. Once you’re gathered together on the bow of the boat, recite the following:

Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans, to whom all ships and we who venture upon your vast domain are required to pay homage, I implore you in your graciousness to expunge for all time from your records and recollection the name (mention the old boat name), which has ceased to be an entity in your kingdom. As proof thereof, we submit this ingot bearing her name, to be corrupted through your powers and forever be purged from the sea.

At this point, drop the metal tag over the bow into the water. Then say: In grateful acknowledgement of your munificence and dispensation, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court. Pour at least half the champagne into the water, from east to west. Share the rest among yourselves.

Renaming – it’s all in a names

Speak to Poseidon (who at this point is a bit tipsy): Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans, to whom all ships and we who venture upon your vast domain are required to pay homage, I implore you in your graciousness to take unto your records and recollection this worthy vessel hereafter and for all time known as (Nautilus), guarding her with your mighty arm and trident and ensuring her of safe and rapid passage throughout her journeys within your realm. In appreciation of your munificence, dispensation, and in honour of your greatness, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court.

Make sure you have more champagne on hand, because you’ll need to pour it, minus one glass for you and one for the mate, into the water, this time from west to east.

Appease the four wind gods.

Renaming a boat also involves asking for fair winds and calm seas for your pending voyages. Recite:

Oh mighty rulers of the winds, through whose power our frail vessels traverse the wild and faceless deep, we implore you to grant this worthy vessel (Nautilus) the benefits and pleasures of your bounty, ensuring us of your gentle ministration according to our needs.

Next, address each wind god individually. In facing north, pour champagne into a champagne flute and toss the libation to the north as you say:

Great Boreas, exalted ruler of the North Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavours, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your frigid breath.

Next face west, repeating the champagne pour and toss while saying:

Great Zephyrus, exalted ruler of the West Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavours, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your wild breath.

Face east, repeating the champagne pour and toss while saying:

Great Eurus, exalted ruler of the East Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavours, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your mighty breath.

Lastly, face south, pouring the champagne and tossing it while reciting:

Great Notus, exalted ruler of the South Wind, grant us permission to use your mighty powers in the pursuit of our lawful endeavours, ever sparing us the overwhelming scourge of your scalding breath.

Finish Off the Champagne

If you have any champagne left, indulge in the honour of completing the ceremony.

Now, at long last, you can take your first item bearing the new name onto your boat. Hopefully, you haven’t had the transom graphics changed yet. If scheduling issues prevented waiting until after the renaming ceremony, though, keep the new name covered until you finish all the steps.

Yes, this is incredibly detailed and incredibly superstitious. But would you rather tempt fate?

Finally we are free to sail the seas on Nautilus with Nemo for company.