# RE: Are ships captains allowed to marry people at sea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 8, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307 "2011-07-08T13:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Geedavey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f6c823/32.png) [@Geedavey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geedavey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/21 "2011-07-15T19:37:41Z")
…and yes, checking Wikipedia (maybe I should have done that first), it’s set in WWI. Not Nazis, Gerries. Oh well. Great movie, and point is, it definitely popularized the marriage by captain myth. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/22 "2011-07-15T19:51:58Z")
> [@Geedavey](#): > > Not Nazis, Gerries. Huns. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/23 "2011-07-15T20:55:08Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think Elendil’s Heir was joking by suggesting that a ship could be registered in a land-locked country. Actually, there are quite a few ships that are registered in [Bolivia](http://www.economist.com/node/312292). Bolivia lost its coast line back in 1884, but after 128 years, the country is still officially in denial. Heck, Bolivia still even has a [navy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivian_Naval_Force). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/24 "2013-01-08T05:26:26Z")
Just saw _Casablanca_ tonight, which included some dialogue I’d forgotten. In the Paris flashback scene, as the German army approaches the city, Rick suggests that he and Ilsa get married right away. He thinks of the train they’re planning to take soon and says, “Let’s see. What about the engineer? Why can’t he marry us on the train? Why not? The captain on a ship can. It doesn’t seem fair that… Hey, what’s wrong, kid?” A lot of people have seen _Casablanca_ over the years. These lines might have something to do with the widespread belief that ship captains can, on their own authority, conduct weddings. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/25 "2013-01-08T07:00:39Z")
Comprehension would be greatly improved if so many of you weren’t impressed with your own cleverness and just spelled out your inside jokes. Quit acting like schoolboys. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/26 "2013-01-08T13:56:48Z")
One mustn’t forget the fine documentary series _Gilligan’s Island_, wherein the Skipper attempted to perform a marriage ceremony for Thurston and Lovey on a raft in the lagoon, using a cigar band as a wedding ring. If memory serves, however, the ceremony was never completed, a point which was rendered moot by the end of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/27 "2013-01-08T15:41:56Z")
So can the bus driver officiate and marry two of his passengers to each other? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/28 "2013-01-08T18:18:18Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > Comprehension would be greatly improved if so many of you weren’t impressed with your own cleverness and just spelled out your inside jokes. Quit acting like schoolboys. Um… any “inside jokes” in particular that you didn’t quite catch? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/29 "2013-01-08T19:31:32Z")
Nobody has answered my question about Patenter’s remark from the column yet. Specifically, why mostly sailboats? But that can’t be blamed on the SD members. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/30 "2013-01-08T20:34:13Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > Comprehension would be greatly improved if so many of you weren’t impressed with your own cleverness and just spelled out your inside jokes. Quit acting like schoolboys. Whoa, that’s way out of line here. There are no “inside jokes” in this thread. And even if there were you should not react to them by yelling at people. If you are unsure about what’s going on in this thread, just ask a question. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/31 "2013-01-09T09:59:16Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Um… any “inside jokes” in particular that you didn’t quite catch? > [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > Oh dear God! > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Not to mention, that Nazi captain was politically way ahead of his time. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I thought it was a Mongolian-flagged cruise ship. If you think that your wit, rivals Oscar Wilde than at least have the courtesy to explain the joke instead of forcing people to beg for an view into your attention-starved mind. You are one of the most active practitioners of this ploy, to the point that I ignore most answers that you supply. If you don’t have the correct answer or have nothing to add, shut the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/32 "2013-01-09T19:02:46Z")
The surest way to make a joke funny is to explain it. In detail. Oh, wait.\* You see, that’s wrong. You see, explaining a joke actually removes the humor. The key to much humor is the surprise twist, the juxtaposition of the expected and the unexpected, the balance between taking what you know and thus what drives your perceptions and then inserting something else at the cusp. That’s often the root of one-liners and puns. Excessive explanation is only necessary when the audience did not have the info to jump to the expected conclusion before the unexpected was provided. Thus, the failure of humor is often the failure of the humorist to understand his audience. _In those cases_, explaining the joke may increase the humor by some token value\*\*, because the audience that previously didn’t know now does understand, but the cost is often a larger value of humor from the tedious verbage required to fill in all the missing information and make all the connections. The humor is often in leaping the gap, not walking down one side of the ravine, across the bottom, then up the other side of the ravine. * * * \*You see? \*\*Actually, I needed two of those specific examples explained myself. Basic lack of familiarity with the subject matter, the movie _The African Queen_. But I was aware of which actress was in the movie, and difference between an Audrey and a Katherine. Still, you don’t have to be rude about it. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/33 "2013-01-09T20:42:13Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > If you think that your wit, rivals Oscar Wilde than at least have the courtesy to explain the joke instead of forcing people to beg for an view into your attention-starved mind. > > You are one of the most active practitioners of this ploy, to the point that I ignore most answers that you supply. If you don’t have the correct answer or have nothing to add, shut the fuck up. :rolleyes: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/34 "2013-01-09T22:15:59Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > If you think that your wit, rivals Oscar Wilde than at least have the courtesy to explain the joke instead of forcing people to beg for an view into your attention-starved mind. Et cetera. Your first two examples require a familiarity with a classic movie, two famous actresses, and German political history, and the third assumes a knowledge of basic geography. All of these, plus a sense of humor, are considered prerequisites before posting here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/35 "2013-01-09T22:56:40Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Et cetera. Your first two examples require a familiarity with a classic movie, two famous actresses, and German political history, and the third assumes a knowledge of basic geography. All of these, plus a sense of humor, are considered prerequisites before posting here. 😉 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/36 "2013-01-09T23:43:03Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > If you think that your wit, rivals Oscar Wilde than at least have the courtesy to explain the joke instead of forcing people to beg for an view into your attention-starved mind. > > You are one of the most active practitioners of this ploy, to the point that I ignore most answers that you supply. If you don’t have the correct answer or have nothing to add, shut the fuck up. **Moderator note:** This is a formal warning. If you have a problem with another poster on this board, take it to the Pit. You can disagree but you must do so in a civil manner. It’s also a violation of the rules to disregard moderator instructions. Finally, the first rule here is “Don’t be a jerk.” So don’t be a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/37 "2013-01-10T17:57:19Z")
It’s Kath **a** rine Hepburn. With an a. C.K. Dexter Haven of all people should have corrected that instantly. 😛 Nunzio, go sit in the corner. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/38 "2018-10-30T22:25:44Z")
Bumped. I’m now reading Robert A. Heinlein’s sf novel _Starman Jones_ (1953), and the first officer of a starship says that the captain can marry people. I guess Kirk and Picard must’ve read the same ship’s regs. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/39 "2018-10-31T00:39:24Z")
This is an old thread but some updates. Depends on the rules of the Flag State of the vessel. BTW, choosing the US is pretty iffy as there is only one cruise ship in the world that flies a US flag. Some of the largest ship registries allow for this including Panama in 2008 and Bahamas in 2011 with some requirements and restrictions. > **[MaritimeMarriageAct2011\_1.pdf](https://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/2011/2011-0027/MaritimeMarriageAct2011_1.pdf)** > > 6.05 MB While in general for most flag states a ship’s captain typically does NOT have the legal right to officiate a wedding at sea, they do for a large number of the actual passenger vessels today. ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307/40 "2018-10-31T10:51:03Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > He thinks of the train they’re planning to take soon and says, "Let’s see. What about the engineer? Why can’t he marry us on the train? Why not? The captain on a ship can. It doesn’t seem fair that… Ironically, it’s probably true that the ship captain and the train engineer _DO_ in fact have the exact same authority to marry people. That is, such a marriage is valid if and only if both parties _BELIEVE_ it’s valid and behave that way afterwards (and it helps if you live in a state/country that recognizes common law marriages). Basically, it comes down to how you respond when someone asks to see your marriage certificate. I you can’t produce the document, I can’t think of a better excuse than “The ship was sunk by a torpedo thirty seconds after the wedding.” Runner up for best excuse goes to the young German couple in James Michener’s novel _Space_ whose excuse was “The church was bombed and the country it was located in no longer exists.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-ships-captains-allowed-to-marry-people-at-sea/588307.md?page=3)