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Tag: bottle smashing

June 7, 2013 – Bottle smash and blood!

November 4, 2013December 30, 2013anniedike

That’s right.  Blood.  These boat christenings are serious business.  It’s like Fight Club.

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Rule No. 1:  There must be blood.  Alright, that’s not rule number one (it’s number 12!).  Rule number one is The bottle must break.  And, that is true.  It has to be.  I read it on the internet (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2506&dat=19650701&id=3lVJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EwoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4384,289846).  And, you gotta love that captain for being quick on his feet.  The boat slips out into the water on its own before the ceremony, and he shrugs and says “Everyone knows the christening comes after birth.”  Perfect.  “Now, strike up the band!  I want to hear God Save the Queen.”

We didn’t have quite that degree of pomp and circumstance.  (I don’t think it made the paper.)  But, in the early morning hours of June 7, 2013, we certainly did christen her.  The Travelift was scheduled to come at 7:00 a.m. to pick her up for the haul-in, I guess you would call it.  So, we got there a little early to close and check all the seacocks and through-holes and ready her for the water.  We checked all the fluids.  Yes, the transmission fluid, too.  I checked that first actually, while the boys were commiserating in the cockpit.

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This is the Grand Trio: that’s Kevin the Broker on the left (the buddy who helped us find our gem, the most amazing sailboat ever), Bottom Job Brandon in the middle (the buddy who helped us polish her up and ready her for any voyage) and, on the right, our faithful Captain and Leader, the reason for all of this, the infamous Phillip.

The Travelift came right on time, and the guys and gals at the shipyard started strapping her up.

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And we have lift off!

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Thankfully, Houston, there were no problems.

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Phillip looked about as proud as I’ve ever seen him, watching his boat, his dream, his vision, hovering right in front of him.  Finally, a reality.  We both walked alongside her, broad smiles and big chests, pointing, nudging and whispering to each other: That’s our boat!

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It was a big day for us.

Kevin and Brandon, both avid sailors themselves, and having owned and lived on and around sailboats all their lives, knew what it felt like to put your boat in the water for the first time.  They brought us champagne to break (and drink!), slapped us on the back and shared our excitement.

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Kevin:  “You’re going to spend your best days on her.”

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Phillip:  “I hope to spend every day on her.”

They brought her over the water and dipped her down just low enough for me to smash the bottle on the bow.  IMG_1924

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This was the big moment.  You know, plagued for all eternity and what not.  But, I was ready.  I’d been practicing.  I wasn’t going to let that bottle bounce back unscathed.  Uh-huh, not on this boat.  I reared back and smacked her good.

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KA-POOOWWW!!

Ahhh!  What a glorious moment.  The bottle smashed into 932 pieces and champagne went everywhere!  I made a big scene and acted like a superhero (I tend to do that in moments like this).

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And, then … there was BLOOD.

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I didn’t notice it at first, in all my flailing and flaunting, but Brandon did.  I’m surprised I didn’t get it on my white shirt (I can’t keep a white shirt clean to save my life).  But, she was gushing.  That bottle obviously found a way to get back at me.  A nice shard of it jammed right into my knuckle upon impact.  We didn’t have a band there playing God Save the Queen, but I have a feeling the queen herself would have been proud of my bloody good smash!  Perhaps I swung a little harder than necessary.  I tend to do that at times, too.  But, it was totally worth it.  The bottle shattered, and Plaintiff’s Rest was assured a long, lucky life at sea.  We wrapped my bloody appendage and hopped on board while the boys eased her out of the dock.

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Plaintiff’s Rest was back in the water!  To ensure a future of fair winds and following seas, we performed the obligatory splash ceremony ritual (http://www.boatnames.com.au/boat-naming-renaming-ceremony.htm) in which we called on Poseidon and the four Wind Gods (north, east, south and west), reading the script out loud, pouring generous amounts of champagne in each direction, and drinking a generous portion ourselves.  Plenty of champagne was consumed during the ceremony, I can assure you.  We had a lot to celebrate!

Phillip was beaming.

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The wind was blowing, and we were sailing!

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And, you know what happens when we go sailing …

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Clothes come off!  I’m kidding.  They do, but only the outer layers.  We love the sun.  Phillip went top-side to enjoy the view from the bow, and I (of course) followed.

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“Hey Cap’n!”

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“You looking for a mate?”

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It was a big day for us and a beautiful day on the water.  We knew, then and there, we would spend our best days on her.

Boat Projects, Bottom Job boat logo, boat re-naming, bottle smashing, bottom job, champagne, pensacola shipyard, perdido sailor, plaintiff's rest, smash the bottle on the bow, splash ceremony, travelift 10 Comments

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Just goes to show, you can’t really “hide” anywhere. It’s that time of year. 😕 Thankfully we’re safe in the Long Island Sound, but Phillip and Ubi and I were just in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard a few weeks back. Hate it for them. Hold fast sailors!
With as many winters—Christmases and New Years’ included—that Phillip and I have spent in the Bahamas, including this past holiday season in 2022, I figured it was time for a little Bahamas tribute, a rhythmic ditty, if you’ll indulge me, an Annie Seuss treat, as we wish you “Happy Holihamas!” and share with you what it is like to shirk the cold, ditch the snow shovel, and trade your egg nogs for Goombay smashes with a holiday season 2022 in the Abacos. 😎🏝️🇧🇸 Check it out at HaveWindWillTravel.com.
These were our smiles affffter we made our foggiest sail ever (from New London, CT to Newport, RI). The fog in New England this year has been engulfing, blinding, beautiful but troubling. There is no shore. No sense of forward or back. Structures and boats emerge before us from a grey abyss. Phillip and I were so grateful when it lifted as we came in and we could finally see the iconic Newport bridge in the distance. We made it! 🙌 Newport here we come! #havewindwilltravel #newport #sailing #cruising #newengland #fog
Fresh up on the HaveWind blog today: BBQ to Bikinis: Cruising Down the East Coast 2022. At Havewind, we last left you in Portsmouth, VA where we spent an unanticipated month (nearly) having some serious work done on our Fischer Panda DC generator, where he earned the title “Rocky” for stepping back in the ring and conquering all odds. With a fully functioning generator at last, and an approaching winter, it was time for Phillip, me (and Ubi makes three!) to get headed south as quick as safely possible in the fall of 2022. Ironically, the right weather window came to us, once again, around Halloween (the same time we rounded Hatteras headed south in 2021). We happily dubbed it “Happy Hattereen” ( … again! : ) and started our journey south for the winter, making four memorable, mentionable stops along the way at www.havewindwilltravel.com
Port Washington, Port Jefferson, Essex, New London. We had a great time exploring some old and new ports along the Long Island Sound while making our way to Newport for Fourth of July. What’s your favorite stop in the LIS? ⛵️ 😍 #havewindwilltravel #newengland #cruising #outbound46
Never gets old … 🗽 ⛵️ 🤩 #statueofliberty #nyc #newyorkcity #sailing #outbound46 #havewindwilltravel
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