changing her name

SurryMark · Post by **SurryMark** » Dec 11th, '08, 10:37

I'm curious how many of you changed the name of your boat when you bought her. And what rituals did you go through when you did that? And is there a moderately easy way to trace the history or ownership of a boat?
thx

Tod M · Post by **Tod M** » Dec 11th, '08, 10:49

I did not change my boat's name, BuscaBrisas, which is Spanish for "Looking for breezes". Actually, there is some motivation to change it because most people I talk with have trouble pronouncing and spelling it, but I haven't the heart since it is her original name.

I bought her from a guy in Montana who bought her from a guy in Port Angeles, WA who bought her from the original owner in San Diego. She is more well-travelled than I am!

The only reason I happen to know her history is because the Port Angeles owner took her on a seven week cruise from P.A. to Bella Coola, BC and back and wrote about the trip in the owner's newsletter. I contacted him to learn more about the boat prior to purchasing her.

<img width=540 src=http://www.htmills.com/images/LF-MarbleheadLight.jpg>

seadog6532 · Post by **seadog6532** » Dec 11th, '08, 11:05

John Vigor covers changing the name of your boat very well. You can search on here or check his sight. www.johnvigor.com
Mark and Anna of Arianna CD30K #112

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Dec 11th, '08, 11:35

SurryMark wrote:I'm curious how many of you changed the name of your boat when you bought her. And what rituals did you go through when you did that? And is there a moderately easy way to trace the history or ownership of a boat?
thx

I changed my boats name, I used Vigors cerimony. Tracing ownership history is easy if the boat is federally documented, otherwise I have no idea.

Joe Myerson · Post by **Joe Myerson** » Dec 11th, '08, 14:06

I used John V's ceremony to change the name of my boat.

Since she is documented, I could see that she's had at least two other names.

--Joe

Jim Walsh · Post by **Jim Walsh** » Dec 11th, '08, 18:54

I also used John's ceremony and sent the old name to the bottom of Bristol harbour...and I steadfastly refuse to file an environmental impact statement.

Neil Gordon · Post by **Neil Gordon** » Dec 11th, '08, 20:52

I'm aware of Vigor's ceremony but have been taught otherwise:

Rule #1 - Badly named boats tend to sink.
Rule #2 - That a boat is floating suggests the name is okay.
Rule #3 - Change with caution.
Rule #4 - You can keep the boat happy by keeping the old name on board. (I would think this would confuse the boat, but apparently not.)

I changed names, but I was careful to (i) remove the old name from the transom and (ii) continue to store the old name on board. The old name was painted on and I used rubbing compound to take it off, so the old name now lives in a blue tinted rag.

tartansailor · Post by **tartansailor** » Dec 11th, '08, 22:11

With all due respect, and I mean Respect, to my friend John Vigor,
I fear the wrath of my creator more than the peccadilloes of some
hoary mythological sea creature bearing trident and net.

Therefor the name change proceeded with grinding celerity, followed by an over indulgence of some obscure but cheap distillate, the consequences being an unavoidable and urgent relief in said same sea.

Hear say Charon was miffed as Cerberus flipped the canoe in outrage.

Dick

SurryMark · Post by **SurryMark** » Dec 11th, '08, 23:51

I appreciate the tradition of renaming, and just about anythng else we do to feel salty. After all, itâ€™s December in the north and weâ€™re talking about boats. But I have to go with the no drama approach. I mean if it were the Bismark we were recommissioning or some evil husband who smeared his name and genes on your life, we might want to eradicate the name. Obliterate it. Rub it off with alcohol and burn the rag in the grill. But how many Cape Doryâ€™s are in that category? Most went proudly under another name, looked good, gave some thrills, and now can be our sweetie. (I once did try to eradicate all traces of a former name, but she was called â€œDouble Trouble,â€

Steve Kuhar · Post by **Steve Kuhar** » Dec 11th, '08, 23:58

Dick,

Now that is eloquence. William F. Buckley would have had to reach for his dictionary to read that reply. I am impressed. Who would'a thunk it, classic literature, right here on our very own website.

Steve Kuhar

D Rush · Post by **D Rush** » Dec 12th, '08, 08:10

When I bought my CD25 I used John Vigor's renaming ceremony to rename her to JAZ'D. The old name, applied as a decal, was removed and properly disposed of in the marina's dumpster.

In the days of my youth we never "officially" named the sailboats we sailed. Their names would change from year to year depending who was sailing them and who was doing the work to maintain them. They all seemed to meet "unfortunate" endings. Whether it was the center board and center board trunk falling out, being crushed by a falling tree or be sold while the "owner" was away at school.
It may have been names:
"Bad Moon",
"Bad Moon Raising",
"Greta",
"Sync"

Neil Gordon · Post by **Neil Gordon** » Dec 12th, '08, 14:43

D Rush wrote:In the days of my youth we never "officially" named the sailboats we sailed... They all seemed to meet "unfortunate" endings.

We rest our respective cases.

By the way, it's not just judicious renaming, as there are other ways to push your luck. Whoever said, "God himself couldn't sink this ship!" is as responsible for the sinking of the Titanic as the iceberg.

tartansailor · Post by **tartansailor** » Dec 12th, '08, 16:52

Truth be told, I'm a Clod.
Just ask the people I work for.
But thanks again for the kind words.

Dick

Dixon Hemphill · Post by **Dixon Hemphill** » Dec 12th, '08, 17:27

When I bought my CD28 it was named "transendance". I knew right away I would change this name it since it meant nothing to me so, having a sailboat named "Gud to Sail"I decided to use the same name. One year later since the boat was designed by Carl Alberg, whom I had met several times and because I had lived in Sweden for two years and had a special attachment to things Swedish ,I decided to name it "VASA", the name of a period in the 15th and 16th centuries when the Swedish kings ruled most of Scandinavia. My brother carved the name in a plank of teak which now is affixed to the transom of my boat,

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Dec 13th, '08, 10:28

Dixon, you might like the decal a previous owner stuck to my headliner?
If I can scrape it off, you're welcome to it

I have a renaming coming up:

It has been fun, though.
The lock keepers in the Champlain Canal would radio ahead, saying there was a hot blonde coming through. The next guy would be disappointed to see this middle-aged fella with a week's whiskers, and we'd all have a good laugh.

She will evolve from being the "Hot Blond" to being "Coquine" ("mischievous, naughty, sexy"). Since the 27 has a bit of a saucy reputation amongst her sisters, I think suits her just right.

This also helps me name the (CD 10) dinghy - she can be "Coquette" ('little flirt').

The Cape Dory Board

changing her name

changing her name

name

Re: changing her name

Name changes

Name change

A different point of view

Idol Worship

inviting lightning?

Idol Worship

Steve, You Are Too Kind

renaming my boat

Heja Sverige/Hot Blond