Australians will be able to nominate a name for a new Antarctic icebreaker, but any decision will have to wait for the nautical gods.
Determined to avoid their wrath, the federal government has promised not to rush the decision on the custom-made ship's name and risk sailing head-on against maritime omens.
However, Environment Minister Greg Hunt has already ruled out one name - much to the disappointment of his daughter Poppy Celeste.
"It's a lovely name, but I think the public should have the ability to decide," he told reporters in Hobart about their conversation.
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But the chosen name won't be announced one minute before the nautical gods allow.
"There are all sorts of maritime and nautical omens about when is the right and wrong time to name a ship," Mr Hunt warned.
"So we won't invoke the sort of wrath of the nautical gods by doing it too early."
Superstitions appear to be more concerned with the name's spelling than the timing, with some warning a title ending in the letter 'a' will bring bad luck.
Nor should a ship be renamed, a myth originating from a vessel that morphed from Aurora to Endurance, and became trapped in ice and crushed.
Coincidentally, the new icebreaker will be taking over from Aurora Australis.
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Some other must-dos for a boat's christening and launching include flinging champagne into the wind, pouring red wine into the water and placing a (preferably old) silver dollar under the mast.
"Show your boat that money is no object and that you will do anything for it," Bluewater Sailing advises for a naming ceremony.
The icebreaker won't be operational until 2019.
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