Boating Superstition: Yikes! – Don’t Change a Boat’s Name

September 11, 2025

The name of the boat is both spiritual and practical. Once a boat is named, it has been recorded in Poseidon’s “Ledger of the Deep,” which keeps track of boat names travelling the sea and ensures that no harm comes to boats that are listed. To change a boat’s name, means you’re trying to trick the sea gods, which everyone knows is a very bad idea. From a practical point of view, trade ships relied on their reputations at the various ports of call, and to change the name of the boat could make it difficult for a captain and crew to do business—if the name was unrecognizable.

If a boat needs to be renamed, there are critical steps to take in the de- and renaming process. These steps include removing any traces of the boat’s old name, including logbooks, paperwork and the name on the hull, as well as different ceremonies like the classic ritual of writing the original name on a piece of paper, folding it, putting it in a box and burning it. The ashes are then tossed into an outgoing tide. An offering to TK is also expected, lest he should take offense to the boat’s new name. Once all traces of the boat’s former name are destroyed, the boat can be christened with a new name.

Courtesy Pacific Yachting