Naming your boat is an important stage in your beloved boat’s life. If you’re stuck for inspiration. Here are some tips.

After months of shopping around, you’ve finally taken the plunge and bought a new boat. The next dilemma is what to name it. Naming a boat is a significant point in a boat owner’s life.  It can be likened to naming a child, but without the social restrictions we face in today’s society. Therefore it becomes something far more personal and creative.

Then there’s the question of “if the vessel already has a name, are we were going to keep it?” The best place to start is with an “auto-questionnaire”. Should the name be something witty and fun? Should it honor a lost love or a family member? Do you want to name it after an icon in pop culture or a famous historical figure? Or if all else fails, a simple girl’s name will do the trick. Go for whatever suits the personality of your yacht. Don’t rush into it. You’ll likely be struck by a flash of inspiration or if not, check out our list of suggestions below.

Having chosen the best name for your boat, it’s now time to perform the naming ceremony – we boaters take our christenings very seriously.

The Naming Ceremony

If your boat had a name before yours you will have to de-name it first. The following is based on Vigor’s Interdenominational Boat Denaming Ceremony, in honour of John Vigor, the well-known boating author of “Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere.”

To de-name your boat, repeat the words of John Vigor:

“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.”

The renaming ceremony is much more straightforward:

‘I name this ship ___________ and may she bring fair winds and good fortune to all who sail on her.’

Carrying out the ceremony is the easy part however some advance preparation is required. According to John Vigor, you need to:

1. 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. Sand away the old name from the lifebuoys, transom, top-side, dinghy, and oars. Painting over is not good enough.

2. Don’t place the new name anywhere on the boat before the de-naming ceremony is carried out. That’s just tempting fate!

3. Conduct the ceremony – How you do it depends entirely on your preferences. Full blown performance or plain mumbling, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that you carry it out. The words must be spoken.

4. The last part of the ceremony, the libation, must be performed at the bow. There are two things to watch out for here. Don’t use cheap champagne, and don’t try to keep any for yourself (buy a second bottle if you want some to drink a toast). One of the things the gods of the sea despise most is meanness, so don’t try to do this bit on the cheap. Then simply pop the cork and bless your beloved boat by spraying the whole bottle over it.

To give you a helping hand, here’s a list of popular boat names:

Seas the Day

Summer Daze

Second Chance

Aqua-Holic

Wind Seeker

Dream Weaver

Hydrotherapy

The Salt Shaker

Sea Quest

As seen at the movies

Black Pearl  (Pirates of the Caribbean)

ORCA  (Jaws)

SS Minnow  (Gilligan’s Island)

The Olive   (Popeye)

Jenny   (Forrest Gump)

Stugots   (The Sopranos)

The Flying Wasp   (Caddyshack)

The Belafonte   (The Life Aquatic)

The African Queen

Song-inspired boat names

Shaker of Salt

A Pirate Looks at 40

Son-of-a-son-of-a-sailor  (Jimmy Buffet)

5 O’Clock Somewhere  (Kenny Chesney)

Downeaster Alexa   (Billy Joel)

Edmund Fitzgerald  (Gordon Lightfoot)

Historical sailors or boats

Northwestern

Wizard

Time Bandit

Cornelia Marie

Maverick

Rollo

Farwest Leader

Fierce Allegiance

Early Dawn

Boat names in literature

The Nautilus   (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Pequod   (Moby Dick)

Surprise  (Master and Commander)

Red October  (The Hunt for Red October)

Vingalot   (The Silmarillion)

We wish you the best of luck in your name search and enjoy the luxuries of your new boat!

Sources:  www.sea-dreamer.com/page.asp?pagename=naming

www.boatinsurance.org/naming-your-boat-popular-names-and-ideas/