You will need
- At least threebottles of good quality bubbly. Do not offend the gods with cheap stuff, I'm afraid they like quality
- Removing the old name requires one bottle, 1/2 for the God of the sea, 1/2 for yourself and guests
- Renaming your yacht requires two bottles of bubbly.
- From the first bottle two glasses are reserved for you, the master and your first mate, while the rest gets given to the God of the sea.
- From the second bottle you will need a good sized glass of bubbly for each of the four winds, with the remaining being used to serve guests
- Stone or Metal tag
- Water soluble ink that can write on the metal tag or stone
- Compass - Your yacht comes with a great big compass at the binnacle, but you will need to conduct the ceremony at the bow of the yacht, so a compass at that end is useful
- Glasses for the drinks
If you can
- Friends - The more the merrier
- Good weather
Removing the old name from the Ledger of the Deep
According to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to the god of the sea. This can either be Poseidonfrom Greek mythology, who is one of the twelve Olympians, or Neptune from Roman mythology who is brother of Jupiter and Neptune. This can be a personal choice outside of the Mediterranean, but if you are in Greek waters, then the God you must choose is Poseidon, while in Italian waters you must choose Neptune.
So if you wish to change the name of our yacht, the first thing you must do is to remove its name from the Ledger of the Deep and from the god of the seas memory. To do this you must first remove all traces of the boats current identity, this is not just the name on the front of your yacht, this is the dinghy, outboard motors, boat keys, the life buoys and every scrape of paper, that includes the old name, ships logs, maintenance manuals, the lot.
When removing the old name from your yacht, it is acceptable to use Tippex or something similar to cover the yachts name in the log books, engine and maintenance records etc., but if you can simply remove the offending document from the yacht and start afresh, then do so.
Do not under any circumstances carry aboard any item bearing your yacht’s new name until the purging and renaming ceremonies have been completed!
Once you are certain every reference to your yacht's old name has been removed, all that is left to do is to prepare a metal tag, or stone with the old name written on it in water-soluble ink. You will also need a bottle of reasonably good quality bubbly. Since this is an auspicious occasion, it is a good time to invite your friends to witness and to party. Begin by invoking the name of the ruler of the deep as follows:-
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, implore you in your graciousness to expunge for all time from your records and recollection the name _________________________ (here insert the old name of your vessel) 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, the prepared metal tag is dropped from the bow of the boat into the sea.
In grateful acknowledgement of your munificence and dispensation, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court.
Pour at least half of the bottle of Champagne into the sea from East to West. The remainder may be passed among your guests.
Renaming your yacht
It is usual for the renaming ceremony to be conducted immediately following the purging ceremony, although it may be done at any time after the purging ceremony. For this portion of the proceedings, you will need more Champagne, Much more because you have a few more gods to appease. Begin the renaming by again calling the god of the sea as follows:
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, implore you in your graciousness to take unto your records and recollection this worthy vessel hereafter and for all time known as ___________________ (Here insert the new name you have chosen), 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 honor of your greatness, we offer these libations to your majesty and your court.
At this point, one bottle of bubbly, less one glass for the master and one glass for the mate are poured into the sea from West to East.
The next step in the renaming ceremony is to appease the gods of the winds. This will assure you of fair winds and smooth seas. Because the four winds are brothers, it is permissible to invoke them all at the same time, however, during the ceremony; you must address each by name. Begin in this manner:
The next step in the renaming ceremony is to appease the gods of the winds. This will assure you of fair winds and smooth seas. Because the four winds are brothers, it is permissible to invoke them all at the same time, however, during the ceremony; you must address each by name. Begin in this manner:
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 _______________________(Insert your yacht’s new name) the benefits and pleasures of your bounty, ensuring us of your gentle ministration according to our needs.
Facing north, pour a generous libation of Champagne into a Champagne flute and fling to the North as you intone:
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.
Facing west, pour the same amount of Champagne and fling to the West while intoning:
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.
Facing east, repeat and fling to the East.
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.
Facing south, repeat, flinging to the South.
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.
Of course, any champagne remaining will be the beginnings of a suitable celebration in honor of the occasion.
Once the ceremony has been completed, you may bring aboard any and all items bearing the new name of your vessel. If you must schedule the painting of the new name on the transom before the ceremony, be sure the name is not revealed before the ceremony is finished. It may be covered with bunting or some other suitable material.
How it went for us
It would of been nice if we had been able to invite friends and family, but we were up in Troon miles away from any of our friends and it was important to us that we sailed our new yacht back to Liverpool under her new name. It would of been great, if we had good weather, but we had temperatures of -1ºC and a wind chill of -6ºC.
We brought Prosecco as our bubbly as this is the usual wine that we use to celebrate. Of the bottles we brought we had one glass each out of the first bottle, one glass each out of the second and bearly 1/2 glass each out of the third, so if you are inviting friends and family, make sure you allocate at least two bottles of bubbly for the Gods
We conducted our ceremony from the stern rather than the bow, if this makes a difference to the Gods only time will tell. Also it is impossible to remove all old names from your yacht if you want to keep your tax records straight. The old yacht name paid the tax, so we have kept a chain of evidence that Salty Lass is the same yacht, as the one that paid the tax.
