Here's another perspective
Boat Renaming Mythology
Tales of the sea have have enriched humanity for thousands of years. One of the most popular items of nautical folklore is the notion that changing the name on a boat will somehow “anger” the Sea Gods, bringing “bad luck” to the vessel.
As a boat name specialist, it is incumbant on me to denounce any hint of bad luck associated with re-naming a boat. So at personal risk of provoking the Sea Gods, I offer a rational explanation of why changing a boat name was considered bad luck in days of early mariners and mysticism.
For thousands of years, boats were built almost exclusively for commercial or military purposes. Commercial boats, defined as fishing boats, cargo, utlity and passenger vessels were owned and operated by business people whose primary goal was to make a profit. Taxes, fees and assessments on shipping transactions were awkward to enforce. Unless a documented "change of ownership" was provided to the taxing authorities it was difficult to collect taxes associated with these transactions. Changing the name on a vessel was perhaps the most obvious way to advertise that a large transaction had just taken place, attracting unwanted attention from taxing authorities and other opportunists. It was therefore considered “unlucky” to bring unwanted attention to the change of ownership. Keeping the vessels original name implied that all her documents and affairs were in order.
Even today, most ships are registered in foreign countries to avoid these taxes and regulations. Keeping the original boat name on a commercial vessel also maintains her established relationships and elevated status. These vessels are more easily identified and welcomed in familiar ports as an asset to maritime commerce. Many ships of the day were widely recognized by their names, assisted and defended by friendly flags when in peril. Changing the name of a commercial vessel was also considered unnecessary unless the old name adversely impacted the new ownerships business environment.
Things to Ponder:
Does Neptune punish re-named boats in the order they were re-named in?
Does boat insurance cost extra for boats with changed names?
If you change a boat name, then change it back again, is Neptune okay with that or is he twice as angry?
If your boat had it’s name changed in the past, should you make every effort to find out the original name and change it back?
If you remove the old name because you do not want a name on your boat, have you “changed the name”?
If you name an un-named boat, did you “change the name”?
Does Neptune, God of the “Sea”, care if you change the name of a boat on a lake or river?
If not, when a re-named boat re-locates from freshwater to salt will Neptune become angered?
If a re-named boat re-locates from saltwater to fresh is the curse broken?
95%+ of all named boats have already been re-named or will be in the future. Are they all cursed?
One of the primary purposes of mythology is a foundation for compelling theatre. Boat names have an emotional component that lends itself to nautical "story telling" very nicely.
Proper maintenance and good seamanship can overcome even the most "luck challenged" of boats.
For an amusing ceremony on how to appease the Sea Gods when changing your boat name, please visit
Boat Renaming Ceremony and enjoy!
