Sailors are a superstitious lot, but you don’t have to sacrifice an ox like the ancient Babylonians to carry on the tradition of christening your new boat. Per maritime legend, there are a few simple steps to avoid tempting fate (and make a little celebration out of it). Whether you’ve just brought home a new boat or a new-to-you-boat, follow this guide to ensure a jinx-free first launch under a new name.
Let’s Get Christening
1. Out with the old: If you’re renaming a previously owned boat, drop something with the old name on it over the bow. Make sure to be responsible and choose a pollution-free item. Retrieving the item isn’t technically part of the process, but do so if you’ve opted to toss something that’s in danger of joining the Great Pacific Garbage Patch someday.
2. Hold your tongue: I know it’s perfect, but resist the temptation to tell everyone as soon as you come up with the right name for your boat. Make sure every instance of the old name is removed from the boat before you say the new name aloud for the first time. For the purists, painted over isn’t good enough, sand it off and start fresh.
3. Get ready: The christening ceremony should be followed by a maiden voyage, even if it’s only out to your mooring, so make sure the boat is rigged and ready before you start with the proceedings. You’ll also want to gather up a few supplies: a branch with green leaves on it, a bottle of champagne, and a bottle of red wine.
4. Branch Management: Place the branch onboard for the ceremony and the maiden voyage, as it symbolizes the land and a safe return back to it at the end of each voyage.
5. Say a few words: Welcome your guests to the ceremony, say a few words about your boat (its history, its merits, where you hope to sail with it). Ask for safe passage from any deity of choice. If you haven’t got one that you’re particularly close with, Neptune or Posiedon makes for a fitting choice. Pour a little of the red wine into the water as a sacrifice to them. You can enjoy the rest of the bottle with your guests after the ceremony.
6. Break the bottle: Perhaps the most famous part of a modern christening ceremony, the bottle breaking is a little more involved than it looks, so read carefully and learn from my mistakes. First, it should be done by a woman after saying the words, “I christen thee [boat’s new name],” so if you’re not a lady, find a game compatriot who’s willing to risk the glass splinters. You will need to break the bottle against a metal fixture, like a bow pulpit, to avoid damaging the gel coat. It’s best to do this at or below deck level so that shards don’t end up on deck.
Also, consider enclosing the bottle in a bag, so the glass doesn’t go everywhere. You used to be able to get pre-scored bottles from places like West Marine that come complete with their own bag. You can also probably find one on Etsy that’s customized with your boat name and date. But if you don’t have a purpose made bottle, use any kind of champagne and hit hard. Really hard. As is the case when shaking a soda bottle, if it takes multiple swings the champagne will explode when it finally breaks, leaving your fair maiden full of glass splinters. Many also consider it a bad omen if the bottle doesn’t break on the first try.
6. Set Sail: Enjoy your maiden voyage aboard your newly christened boat! Congrats from us at SAIL!
April 2020
