Donice Krueger, retired USCG Rear Admiral William F. Merlin, and Chip Merlin Wednesday evening at a boat renaming ceremony for Chip’s All In! at the Davis Island Yacht Club.
Chip Merlin knows that changing the name of a vessel cannot be undertaken without careful planning. Legend has it that Poseidon or Neptune, the god of the sea in Roman mythology, know the name of every vessel recorded in the Ledger of the Deep. So due care was taken by veteran sailor Merlin, owner of the B-32 racing sailboat, to purge the old name of his boat from the ledger. His fun-filled ceremony, which was boosted by cheers and clapping by family and friends, smartly accomplished the task at hand at the member-owned yacht club near downtown Tampa. The well-planned event included the careful tossing of Champagne by Mr. Merlin and Ms. Krueger east to west and then north to south into the bay after the confident reading of solemn statements by Admiral Merlin and Mr. Merlin that vividly invoked the names of the rulers of the deep.