Changing the name of a boat

Sue on nb No Problem commented about the name of the boat that was our pick of the week - Grumpy Git.

It got me thinking about changing the name of a narrowboat.  At least two of the people we've been in contact with have said they'd change the name of the boat they bought.  I'm not superstitious but there's a small part of me that has to wonder if it would be a good thing.  I recently saw part of a segment on a tv show that was talking about superstition and how ridiculous it sometimes is.  They were asking people to smash a mirror and then telling them to slap themselves on the shoulder with a dead fish to counteract the bad luck they may receive for breaking the mirror.  The dead fish thing was total fabrication.  Everyone who agreed to smash the mirror also did the fish on the shoulder thing.  Not one broke the mirror and then declined the dead fish.

So is it really such bad luck to change a boat name?  There really are some that I simply wouldn't be happy cruising around in with the name emblazoned on the side.  I've read of some little ritual to be done if you change a boat name to prevent the bad luck.  Here's a couple of websites with instructions!


http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htm
http://www.boatnames.com.au/boat-naming-renaming-ceremony.htm

I'm thinking of that dead fish and wondering if it's all a lot of rubbish.  But.... if we did fall in love with a boat with an awful name I might just have to come back to this post to check out those websites again.