# Boat Names



## Stryker72

I am just full of questions today....  

I have always wondered how people come up with the names of the boats. Some are fairly easy to figure out others not so much. Is there a naming etiquette that should be followed? 

If you have a boat how did you come up with her name?


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## tenuki

came with the boat.


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## TrueBlue

came with the boat


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## joeybkcmo

came with the boat


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## jrd22

Hated the old name, did the de-naming cremony, went nameless for years until the right one popped into my head while on a cruise.


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## davideureka

came with boat


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## TSOJOURNER

*Kahmona Wanaliea*_ -what i tell the wife when she wears her skimpy clothes 

_


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## Giulietta

I met this girl.....


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## retclt

My boat has yet to be named. I'm working on it.

I like the story I read years ago about the Maxi Racer on SF bay named FUJIMO. If I remember correctly . . . probably don't due to the rum again . . . the owners wife was giving him a hard time about the boat so he named it for her. "F you Jane I'm moving out"


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## L02314564

*The Other Woman*

I had been struggling to come up with the right name for mine for a few months. Then it happened...I was spending so much time on the boat that my better half began referring to her as the other woman. My '76 Catalina 27 has been formally renamed...complete with ceremonies....she will be forever known as The Other Woman.


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## Classic30

Also came with the boat.. As far as we can tell, our boat has always been called "Irene".

When we bought it, both the wife and I had full intentions of changing it ASAP (one suggestion was "Kelpie" - but I'll leave others to speculate why we didn't pick that  ), however during a cruise with a bunch of others from the club, we were tied up to a jetty over night in 40-knot winds (being too uncomfortable on board, we were staying in the nearby caravan park at the time) and the tide rose trapping the gunwale under the jetty.

The next morning, one of the other club members noticed when he went out to relive himself and raced around on the jetty to wake everyone else up yelling "Irene's in trouble!!"... no major damage done, but thereafter we decided to keep the name. It just sounds better than say "Sailingdog's in trouble!! - I mean, who cares?".    

--Cameron


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## tenuki

There was supposedly a racing boat around here called FWOTAM, never saw her myself.


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## sailingdog

Me too... gave her a nickname, and put it on the boat too.


Giulietta said:


> I met this girl.....


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## Giulietta

Hartley18 said:


> It just sounds better than say "Sailingdog's in trouble!! - I mean, who cares?".


ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

worse part would be no one would come to the rescue


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## Freesail99

My boat came with the name Anne Marie. Now I dated a Anne Marie, great body but what a bi..... Anyway, a girl friend suggested Wind Angel, I didn't like it. Then she came up with Ark Angel, which was ok. I was going to use the name. 
I was recently going through some things and I came upon an old book I had. I always liked the book. So the name of my boat is ( and I had the name printed already so I am not changing it ) is Scheherazade.


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## TSOJOURNER

tenuki said:


> There was supposedly a racing boat around here called FWOTAM, never saw her myself.


we got a houseboat on our dock with the same name.
we gotta be careful how we say our name on the VHF, poeple think were making sexual advanced at them so we say Kahmona Wanaleea


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## 6string

My wife is from "Wild Rose" WI. She tells this story that since she left, they just call the town "Rose". The boat got the name "Wild" since she didn't want me to call it "Katie". It's a racing boat that gives you a good Wild ride when it pipes up a bit.

The next boat is already named too. Our next boat will be purchased sometime in the next 2 years. It will be something in the 40' range. Our favorite at this time is a Tayana 42. I would like Katie to look at a Valiant 40. She has yet to see one. We will be leaving WI on a LONG cruise in about 2011. Not any real defined plans. We'll go as the wind blows us as long as we are having a good time. To our non sailing friends it is kind of mystical to them why we would do that. We both like Van Morrisons music, of course not many don't. We decided to call the boat "Mystic" When we go below deck we will be going "Into the Mystic". 

Any guess to the name of the dinghy?

Katie is of Danish and Hungarian decent. A little gypsie blood in her. The dinghy will be "Gypsy Soul". Of course I will be rocking that often. Her Gypsy soul, not the dinghy.  

Jeff


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## mkmckn

Exit Strategy- Because one of these days I'm gonna sail away.


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## SailorMitch

*How very Zen*

Several years ago someone gave my wife one of those calendars with a Zen saying for each day of the year. My wife tore them off at the end of the day and gave them to me. I kept several because I like the saying, but one in particular really stuck with me. It went "Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice." It was attributed to some guy named Shunryu Suzuki, whom I had never heard of. I saved that one because I thought to myself, wow, Inner Voice will make a great name for my next boat.

Thus, several years later, my Pearson 33-2 has that name. And only then did I google Suzuki. Quite a guy. Japanese Zen master who started the first zen school in America back in the '60's among other things.

Prior name of the boat was Hot Number. That didn't suit me one bit. Inner Voice fits me and the boat perfectly.


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## engcon

When we bought her she was "Rainbow Chaser". Wife and I are no longer chasing rainbows, we are sailing into the "Setting Sun".


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## sailingdog

Cameron-

My boat isn't named "sailingdog"... and I don't get into trouble... 


Hartley18 said:


> Also came with the boat.. As far as we can tell, our boat has always been called "Irene".
> 
> When we bought it, both the wife and I had full intentions of changing it ASAP (one suggestion was "Kelpie" - but I'll leave others to speculate why we didn't pick that  ), however during a cruise with a bunch of others from the club, we were tied up to a jetty over night in 40-knot winds (being too uncomfortable on board, we were staying in the nearby caravan park at the time) and the tide rose trapping the gunwale under the jetty.
> 
> The next morning, one of the other club members noticed when he went out to relive himself and raced around on the jetty to wake everyone else up yelling "Irene's in trouble!!"... no major damage done, but thereafter we decided to keep the name. It just sounds better than say "Sailingdog's in trouble!! - I mean, who cares?".
> 
> --Cameron


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## 6string

Freesail99 said:


> My boat came with the name Anne Marie. Now I dated a Anne Marie, great body but what a bi..... Anyway, a girl friend suggested Wind Angel, I didn't like it. Then she came up with Ark Angel, which was ok. I was going to use the name.
> I was recently going through some things and I came upon an old book I had. I always liked the book. So the name of my boat is ( and I had the name printed already so I am not changing it ) is Scheherazade.


Freesail

You are quick to name and sell your yachts
http://www.nigelburgess.com/brokerage/scheherazade/

I actually had a chance to photograph this beauty. We saw it in Sopers Hole, Easter 2006.








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Man you got the "Yacht" ! ! ! 

Jeff


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## Andyman

I wanted a name that lifted my spirit as soon as I stepped on board after a busy week. Hence: "Free @ Last".


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## TSOJOURNER

Andyman said:


> I wanted a name that lifted my spirit as soon as I stepped on board after a busy week. Hence: "Free @ Last".


cool name! 
edit: oh yeah i forgot, nice highjack 6string...good looking ship!


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## dohenyboy

I was between girlfriends so I had no one to name the boat after so I called it "Dyevushka" which is Russian for Miss or girlfriend. 
I heard a Turkish song Shika Dam which means "I'll make you chic" and named my other boat after that.


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## Miles Walker

*Renaming Ceremony Details*

We are struggling with the idea of renaming our new (to us) Pearson 36-2. Not only can we not decide on the new name, I am 'a bit superstitious' and want to make sure we do it right when the time (and the name) comes. Any details would be most helpful.


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## Freesail99

I told my daughter Courney, that if I had thought of Scheherazade first, her name would have been ......


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## Classic30

There are quite a few articles on the web about how to do it right.

One word of advice: Don't call the boat "Hurricane" - it'll forever be refered to as a slow-moving depression.  

--Cameron


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## jjablonowski

It's named "Assignment."
I'm a journalist, and my secretary tells callers, "He's out of the office on Assignment!"


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## TrueBlue

> We are struggling with the idea of renaming our new (to us) Pearson 36-2. Not only can we not decide on the new name, I am 'a bit superstitious' and want to make sure we do it right when the time (and the name) comes. Any details would be most helpful.


Forget all those well-known rituals and ceremonies SD and others will propose - that's all just meaningless smoke and mirrors.

Think of a name you and your first mate truely love (unless it's documented - don't borrow the name from others - it's your friggin boat). Then use Easy-Off oven cleaner to remove the old name - and all evil spirits will be renounced in the caustic soup.


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## Allanbc

I saw a boat name the other day that made me chuckle. The boat was called _Never Again III_.


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## Giulietta

Hemorroid is a cool name....hurts in the back, and you want it gone fast....

I have a friend that named his boat in French...he called CAMARADERIE, which means, roughly..."I don't have any friends, and these hemorroids are killing me"....more or less


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## sailingdog

Here's the smoke and mirrors... LINK



Miles Walker said:


> We are struggling with the idea of renaming our new (to us) Pearson 36-2. Not only can we not decide on the new name, I am 'a bit superstitious' and want to make sure we do it right when the time (and the name) comes. Any details would be most helpful.


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## TSOJOURNER

I have two great doughters that make me proud to be their father so i finaly found a way to express my feelings, i named my boat carisa for caroline and isabelle.. mushy but what the hell.


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## Giulietta

I think...and I urge you to agree with me...the best way to name a boat is with...letters....


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## TSOJOURNER

Giulietta said:


> I think...and I urge you to agree with me...the best way to name a boat is with...letters....


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## Freesail99

Giulietta said:


> I think...and I urge you to agree with me...the best way to name a boat is with...letters....


I always did like, seven of nine


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## Giulietta

Isn't that Puff Diddy Daddy Farty Licky on the cover???


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## wind_magic

mkmckn said:


> Exit Strategy- Because one of these days I'm gonna sail away.


I like that name, good choice.


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## TrueBlue

> Isn't that Puff Diddy Daddy Farty Licky on the cover???


Snoop Dog fo' shizzle


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## denby

TrueBlue said:


> Forget all those well-known rituals and ceremonies SD and others will propose - that's all just meaningless smoke and mirrors.
> 
> Think of a name you and your first mate truely love (unless it's documented - don't borrow the name from others - it's your friggin boat). Then use Easy-Off oven cleaner to remove the old name - and all evil spirits will be renounced in the caustic soup.


But what about all the alcohol and virgins? 

Dennis


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## retclt

denby said:


> But what about all the alcohol and virgins?
> 
> Dennis


"Bottoms up" could be bad luck for a boat.


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## sailortjk1

Named her after my wife. "Julianna"

(I too like a previous poster had considered combining my two daughters names, Samantha and Melissa. The boat almost became "Samanaliss". The two headed sea monster.)


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## TrueBlue

> But what about all the alcohol and virgins?


A sailor who's never been to Nantucket I see.


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## Classic30

sailortjk1 said:


> Named her after my wife. "Julianna"
> 
> (I too like a previous poster had considered combining my two daughters names, Samantha and Melissa. The boat almost became "Samanaliss". The two headed sea monster.)


I forgot to mention that our outboard has "Amy" stencilled on it - probably the original owner's daughter of long ago. Like most little girls, sometimes it runs sweetly and sometimes it's a right pain in the a**. 

Perhaps you could have two dinghies - one for each daughter?

--Cameron


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## sailaway21

It used to be quite common to name ships after the owner's female relatives. It was presumed that the Lykes Lines family was a large one. The size of the Maersk family can be presumed to be encyclopedic or they've just taken to utilizing the Copenhagen telephone book. 

I never much cottoned to the Great Lakes phenomona of naming a ship after the CEO, or a board director, of the company; usually a person of a banking background with little of the sea about him. Tacky, bad form, and bad luck-IMHO.

Having the one daughter, our's became the "Emily Marie". Can anyone explain the tremendous number of boats and ships whose second name is/was Marie? Surely not every girl's middle name was Marie? Without dragging out the OED, is there some maritime significance to the name Marie?

It's also considered to be tempting the fates to name a ship after a predecessor that came to a bad end. Thus, after a long line of them, you'll never see a Farrell Lines ship named Seawitch again. Of course, you'll never see a Farrell Lines ship of any sort again, but you get the point. And it's a fair bet, no matter how much oil they ultimately lift out of there, Exxon will never use the name Valdez on so much as a jon-boat!


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## sailingdog

Mare and Marie may share a common root. Mare is the Latin word for "sea." 


I also doubt any major shipping line is going to use Mary Celeste or Titantic anytime soon.


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## 6string

Marie, , , Mary . . . mother of Jesus. Not a bad one to have in your corner if your a religious type, when all hell is letting lose on the open sea.


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## PBzeer

Though the original reason for choosing *Aria* came to naught, what it represented still held true. It's taken from a Suzy Bogguss song, Music on the Wind. Not to mention, I didn't really want a boat named Jimmie G, which was the name when I bought her.


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## Giulietta

sailingdog said:


> Mare and Marie may share a common root. Mare is the Latin word for "sea."
> 
> I also doubt any major shipping line is going to use Mary Celeste or Titantic anytime soon.


SD, Marie, or Mary or Maria, are names that derive from the Arab Miriam.
Mar, in Portuguese or Mare in Italian or mer in French don't derive from the word Maria.


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## sailaway21

Now I AM going to have to get the OED out! Where's the damn magnifying glass?


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## freddy4888

My wife and I named our boat Retreat because the boat is our retreat from the everyday bullshit!


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## Joesaila

After considering hundreds [had to be original] and perusing a documented vessel list...I stuck with the original???

Itinerant [wandering traveler]


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## chtaylor

*La Bubulubu*

When we were dating, I nicknamed my wife "Bubulubu" after her favorite mexican candy bar because she's so sweet.

When we bought our boat earlier this year, it didn't have a name. The boat is now named for my wife "La Bubulubu."


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## Boasun

Knew of one boat named "On the Rocks". 
Now if he runs aground, can't you hear the laugher in the background as the Coast Guard is talking to him on the radio!!
Umm! motor vessel On the Rocks, say again your problem?
Uh! On the Rocks, you say that you are on the rocks at Rock Pt?? Say Again!

A good reason to stay away from 'Cute' names. LOL


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## svindigo

We went with one that would sound pretty much the same or at least be decipherable on the radio no matter where we were. Denamed, renamed, now we're Indigo.

Best dinghy name I've seen was on a hard dinghy - Row Vs Wade.


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## TSOJOURNER

After the boat in the movie, _Master and Commander_.

-Spencer
_Surprise_
_______________
Catalina 22


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## Joel73

Our boat came with the name too. 

"At Last" 

We liked the name for several reasons. 1. We had been looking for a boat for a year and so "At Last" seemed appropriate there. 2. We had been together for 6 years before i proposed... and i proposed on the day we closed on her... "At Last." 3. When we docked after the proposal, we walked to the deck and the local musician (Percy) was playing Etta James' "At Last".... it was coincidence... none of our friends asked him to play it so it was kinda a strange moment. 

It just fits in several ways so we decided to keep it.

We saw several "Carpe Diem" boats while looking for ours... that name makes me wanna puke... kinda like "Sea Otter" and all the other cheese out there. Hopefully i didn't just offend someone......


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## TSOJOURNER

svindigo said:


> Best dinghy name I've seen was on a hard dinghy - Row Vs Wade.


LOL, thats friggen awesome!


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## Sasha_V

The original name of ours was "Speed of Night", taken from a Bonny Raithe song. It didn't do it for me, but the matter was made worse because my wife and I were both into medieval re-enactment and it was automatically assumed by friends that the boat's name was "Speed of Knight", which, when it comes to thought processes, is rather s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w.

A joke is all well and good, but we wanted something grander then a passing sneer.

My first real boat was a present to me by a lovely ex-girlfriend, and I always thought I would like to have a big boat named after her...and lets face it Braenwen is a beautiful name for a boat, and as full of sea references as the celts could make it.
My wife was honestly fine with this notion, and it was only at the last minute, when going to order the name cut by the stencil lettering place that something that had been right under my nose for months finally got my attention. 

My wife, with no sailing background at all, and a family that are all pretty universally terrified of water deeper then their knees had not only agreed to buying a yacht, she had with great determination gone into every single one of the sailing courses and such that I had, Learnt everything from navigation to deisel engine repair and sea-safety survival, had literally overcome her fears and expectations and taught herself to enjoy sailing and be good at it, and had actually decided that she wanted to do the whole extended passage thing out of sight of land etc...

The name I ordered from the lettering place was FORTIS.
It is latin for BRAVE, and is very much hers.


Sasha


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## sailingdog

Sasha-

I hope you realize how lucky you are...  Good choice on the name.


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## alecs123

My first boat, which is a Flying Tern 14" came with no name... everyone was trying to come with one, but at last a friend of my wife said "you don't like anything... you're a Grinch".. so thats her name
The other (merit 25) came with a name wi didn't like... On the road from Corpus Christi to Valle de Bravo Mexico, the name peeled off -a sign I thought- so after a few weeks I picked "Argos" like the mythical boat of the greeks, but also the meaning of "argós" with the accent on the "o" is faster and light, so I liked even more


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## DrB

*What's in a Name?*

My wife and I just bought a boat and it came with the name "Moondance". Not a bad name, but not really me. I wanted one of these:

Flux Capacitor
(Island of) Misfit Toyz
Lost Wages
ZZYZX
Off Course

I toyed with Entropy and some Greek and Latin "Wind" names or version there of, but the wife didn't like any of the above. Well she liked Lost Wages on Off Course, but she wasn't head over heals about them. So........Moondance it still is.

DrB


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## Faster

The first boat we renamed to "Ragtime"; Rag = sail and also at the time I was heavily into playing Scott Joplin on the piano. Eventually had a spinnaker built with a piano key pattern in the horizontal bands.

Next boat was a hot little racer with a green hull that we called "Jalapeno". (came with the name Turtle Soup?!?)

Next boat came with the name "Phantom" which we all liked and kept. 

Current boat came named "Wharf Rat".... mmmm no thanks. So we did a little word play, she's a Fast 345 and so we came up with "FastForward".

If you think it's tough coming up with a name by yourself, try being in a partnership or a syndicate and come up with a name that everyone involved can live with!!


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## Joesaila

We had a boat and wanted an original name...did names in a hat and had 4 people concur on the final selection. Went with "First Light"...afterwards I checked the NOAA *Vessel Documentation Search by Name *and found out there were about 100 boats by that name! So it might be good to look first if you want a one and only.


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## sailingdog

Of course this only tells you how many are documented with that name, not how many are registered with that name. If 100 boats have it as their documented name, chances are pretty likely that 5000+ have it as a name.


Joesaila said:


> We had a boat and wanted an original name...did names in a hat and had 4 people concur on the final selection. Went with "First Light"...afterwards I checked the NOAA *Vessel Documentation Search by Name *and found out there were about 100 boats by that name! So it might be good to look first if you want a one and only.


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## Omatako

Whenever I think of a name for my boat, the first question I ask myself is what will happen when you arrive off an island in Africa and a no-speak-English person on the radio asks you to phonetically spell it for him.

Then you really don't want a name like "Spirit of Philadelphia". I've always kept it short.

My present boat is called First Command (pretentious I know) - inherited from previous owner and will be changed soon to either Cassidy or Magic Carpet. SWMBO will ultimately decide. If it turns out to be Magic Carpet then the dink will be Magic Rug. If it turns out to be Cassidy, the dink will be - what else? Butch.


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## TSOJOURNER

Nirvana ever noticed how many boats are named Nirvana ? I allways found that odd considering its meaning:- Place of no wind . What do I know ? nuttin


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## Idiens

I always wonder how the MayDay call would sound:

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, On A Roll, On A Roll, On A Roll.

Or similar.

This summer I saw a boat named:

"I say Ding-Dong"

Sounds credible coming after MayDay?


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## cockeyedbob

Fenario

What will your mother say,
When she finds you've gone away,
To places far and strange,
To Fenario?


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## CBinRI

Came with the boat but will likely change this winter.


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## CBinRI

SailorMitch said:


> Several years ago someone gave my wife one of those calendars with a Zen saying for each day of the year. My wife tore them off at the end of the day and gave them to me. I kept several because I like the saying, but one in particular really stuck with me. It went "Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice." It was attributed to some guy named Shunryu Suzuki, whom I had never heard of. I saved that one because I thought to myself, wow, Inner Voice will make a great name for my next boat.
> 
> Thus, several years later, my Pearson 33-2 has that name. And only then did I google Suzuki. Quite a guy. Japanese Zen master who started the first zen school in America back in the '60's among other things.
> 
> Prior name of the boat was Hot Number. That didn't suit me one bit. Inner Voice fits me and the boat perfectly.


"Hot Number" is a tough one to live up to (although I'm sure she carried it well).


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## CBinRI

Boasun said:


> Knew of one boat named "On the Rocks".
> Now if he runs aground, can't you hear the laugher in the background as the Coast Guard is talking to him on the radio!!
> Umm! motor vessel On the Rocks, say again your problem?
> Uh! On the Rocks, you say that you are on the rocks at Rock Pt?? Say Again!
> 
> A good reason to stay away from 'Cute' names. LOL


"It looks like a total loss . . . how would you like your whisky?"


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## CBinRI

Joel73 said:


> Our boat came with the name too.
> 
> "At Last"
> 
> We liked the name for several reasons. 1. We had been looking for a boat for a year and so "At Last" seemed appropriate there. 2. We had been together for 6 years before i proposed... and i proposed on the day we closed on her... "At Last." 3. When we docked after the proposal, we walked to the deck and the local musician (Percy) was playing Etta James' "At Last".... it was coincidence... none of our friends asked him to play it so it was kinda a strange moment.
> 
> It just fits in several ways so we decided to keep it.
> 
> We saw several "Carpe Diem" boats while looking for ours... that name makes me wanna puke... kinda like "Sea Otter" and all the other cheese out there. Hopefully i didn't just offend someone......


I had a couple of pros help me deliver my boat and the only thing they had a strong opinion on was that they made me promise not to name her Carpe Diem. (Not that there's anything wrong with it.)


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## Sequitur

In Canada, all vessels over 12m in length are required to be registered, and Ship Registry requires that each vessel have a unique name, not just for its Port of Registry, but for the entire country. Unlike in the US, we cannot simply move the Port of Registry up the coast to the next village and be yet another Seabreeze or Carpe Diem.

I wanted a single-word name for my newly constructed boat, a name that had some personal meaning and one did not have to have an appended Roman Numeral, such as Wanderlust CCCLXXXVIII.

Since I am well into my 60s, my new boat was conceived as being my last big one, one in which I can comfortably relax, wind-down my last business and use to sail off into the sunset. This boat is the conclusion to a long list of boats I have owned over the past 43 years, and I wanted her name to reflect that.

I chose *Sequitur*, which can be construed to mean "a logical conclusion". The dinghy is *Non Sequitur*, which means "it does not logically follow" (as some of us have seen when trying to tow one).


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## HGSail

Barrowed mine from an Olsen 30 that I used to Crew on. When they sold it and the name was changed, I picked it up. It was a great boat and a great crew.

Holy Guacamole..........For me it says it all


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## TSOJOURNER

"Sandra Faye" After Mom of course! ;o)


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## sailingdog

LOL... that's nice, but I'm generally not a fan of naming the dinghy something related to the name of the mothership, since it points out that you're off your boat, and can lead thieves to your unoccupied boat. Call me paranoid...but my friends used to do the same thing... and the thieves stole their dinghy off the dock and used it to steal most everything of value off their boat. To add insult to injury, they stole the dinghy and motor too.



Sequitur said:


> I chose *Sequitur*, which can be construed to mean "a logical conclusion". The dinghy is *Non Sequitur*, which means "it does not logically follow" (as some of us have seen when trying to tow one).


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## TrueBlue

I've always liked the name *Mistress* since it closely describes the relationship most sailboats have with their subservient male owner.

Contrary to SD's advice, a name for the tender could be: *Mistress in Waiting*.


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## GDFL

So if you weren't shooting for a completely unique name, what's a good "rule of thumb" limit on how many others share the same documented name? 25 too much? 200 too much?


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## TrueBlue

There are 52 USCG Documented boats named True Blue in the US . . . not very unique and the USCG obviously doesn't care about the numbers.


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## SanderO

I thought Shiva was a unique name. Back in the last century I was departing Bermuda for LI and as the custom there, you hail Bermuda Harbor Radio and provide them with the details of your boat and where you are heading. A nice idea idea.

So when I was ready I turned on the VHF hauled in the anchor and called BHR and told them I was departing. They said that I had already reported in. Odd I hadn't.

Turned out that a few minutes earlier another boat named Shiva, bound for Boston, I recall had just left. Two Shivas departing St Georges within an hour? Hard to believe but it happened.

jef
sv shiva


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## CBinRI

SanderO said:


> I thought Shiva was a unique name. Back in the last century I was departing Bermuda for LI and as the custom there, you hail Bermuda Harbor Radio and provide them with the details of your boat and where you are heading. A nice idea idea.
> 
> So when I was reading I turned on the VHF hauled in the anchor and called BHR and told them I was departing. They said that I had already reported in. Odd I hadn't.
> 
> Turned out that a few minutes earlier another boat named Shiva, bound for Boston, I recall had just left. Two Shivas departing St Georges within an hour? Hard to believe but it happened.
> 
> jef
> sv shiva


We were daysailing off of Newport in a past boat (a C&C 36) and there was another C&C about the same size (probably another 36) a little bit ahead of us on the same tack. We had a bigger jib up and were catching up and, to my surprise, it had the same name (Avanti) as our boat. What are the chances?


----------



## TrueBlue

There's a late model 36 ft C&C at my marina named Avanti - directly across from us.


----------



## CBinRI

TrueBlue said:


> There's a late model 36 ft C&C at my marina named Avanti - directly across from us.


In the water? If it is on stands with a flag blue hull in Wickford, it is mine. It is for sale. I bought another boat (a Swan 41) before I had sold this one, something no prudent person would do. At the risk of spamming, it is a great boat if you know anyone with an interest.

If it has a white hull, it is probably the one we were chasing that day, although I think it was an early eighties model.


----------



## TrueBlue

It's wet at NEB (New England Boatworks), has a white hull, green canvas and graphics - 2005 I believe. This is one of those boats that goes out maybe once, twice a season. Very sad, since I can't say that we've ever seen the owners on the boat more than 3-4 times a year.

A Swan 41 - you lucky devil!


----------



## SailorMitch

Back when I was looking for The Next Boat I saw one on Yachtworld that was interesting for whatever reason. The name was something nondescript but the owner had a proviso in the listing that he reserved the rights to the name and the new owner was obligated to rename the boat. I don't recall the name but I looked it up on the Coast Guard documentation site at the time and there were about 30 boats with the same name. So much for originality.


----------



## CBinRI

TrueBlue said:


> It's wet at NEB (New England Boatworks), has a white hull, green canvas and graphics - 2005 I believe. This is one of those boats that goes out maybe once, twice a season. Very sad, since I can't say that we've ever seen the owners on the boat more than 3-4 times a year.
> 
> A Swan 41 - you lucky devil!


Thanks. We keep it in Jamestown. I'll be sure to try to get your attention if I see you on the bay. You're not too hard to spot. What a beautiful boat.

As to Avanti, I guess there may be three C&C Avantis in the immediate area. The other one I saw was older and had Newport on its transom. I know the name isn't unique, but the funny thing is that I've never seen it on another boat.


----------



## CBinRI

SailorMitch said:


> Back when I was looking for The Next Boat I saw one on Yachtworld that was interesting for whatever reason. The name was something nondescript but the owner had a proviso in the listing that he reserved the rights to the name and the new owner was obligated to rename the boat. I don't recall the name but I looked it up on the Coast Guard documentation site at the time and there were about 30 boats with the same name. So much for originality.


lol. Maybe he didn't want his reputation as a racer to be impacted. Or something like that.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

retclt said:


> My boat has yet to be named. I'm working on it.
> 
> I like the story I read years ago about the Maxi Racer on SF bay named FUJIMO. If I remember correctly . . . probably don't due to the rum again . . . the owners wife was giving him a hard time about the boat so he named it for her. "F you Jane I'm moving out"


hahahahaha. Thats a good one.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Black pearl..not much imagination there. But my next boat will be SHWOMBO, She Who Must Be Obeyed. The wife won't even know that I named it after her.


----------



## Sequitur

sailingdog said:


> LOL... that's nice, but I'm generally not a fan of naming the dinghy something related to the name of the mothership, since it points out that you're off your boat, and can lead thieves to your unoccupied boat.


Not very likely if the name is painted on the dinghy's bottom, where it is seen only when hoisted in the davits or lashed on the foredeck.


----------



## CBinRI

Bardo said:


> Black pearl..not much imagination there. But my next boat will be SHWOMBO, She Who Must Be Obeyed. The wife won't even know that I named it after her.


I like it.


----------



## Faster

Haven't read EVERY post on this thread, so sorry if this is a repeat, but nearby there's a race boat called "Dilligaf" - another acronymic name :"Does It Look Like I Give A F***"

Perhaps an intimidation factor on the start line - or letting you know that the onboard philosphy is "rules Schmules"?!

Friends with a Viper 620, a high performance big dinghy had a bad day and capsized after which the boat turned completely upside down and stayed there.... I suggested they name it "sdoo" and got some puzzled looks until I asked them to read it upside down.


----------



## mazzy

Boat was originally "Moby". Until I was asked "where's its dick". Now it's Comino, named after the smallest of the Maltese Islands.


----------



## bushrat

I'm the proud new owner of a Mirage 275 I'm having shipped from Annapolis right now. This will be sort of homecoming since these boats were made in Quebec. Her new home port will be in Killarney on Georgian Bay. I'm not sure about her name "Parvenue" its french for something like new found wealth without the social graces. I think I would like a name that is more clear in meaning. I am of Brit-Scott descent and it doesn't seem to fit. My wifey's name is Vicky, thinking about Victoria's Secret, Queen Vic any thoughts.


----------



## 7Psych

FORCE 10--name of our Tartan 10 (Sold)
FORCE 10....der Name of our Grady White
Sleighride....name of our M-Scow
ARCTIC WINDS...name of our Ice Boat

FORCE 10----name of our new Tartan 3400 to be delivered in November


----------



## SanderO

Wife of Riley?


----------



## CBinRI

otaga05 said:


> If you really want to be subtle about this call the boat Ayesha. The title of She Who Must Be Obeyed originally comes from the Egyptian Princess Ayesha in H Rider Haggard's Novel "She".
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_(novel)


I know the term from the classic Rumpole of the Bailey short stories by John Mortimer. Hilarious tales of a British barrister named Rumpole who uses that nickname for his wife. I understand that there was also a British TV series based on it but I never saw it.


----------



## HoffaLives

Well, I really wanted Charon, the ferryman who carried the souls of the condemned to hell, but my wife refused. As I'm so obviously a romantic, we settled on Fáinleog (pronounced fawn-logue), which is Gaelic for swallow.

As the greybeards here will surely know, the swallow was an old sailors motif signifying both freedom and a safe return. A sailor would often have two swallows tattooed across his breast in case the charm did not work and he was drowned at sea. The swallows were there to carry his soul to heaven. 

I designed a swallow tattoo for myself earlier this year, but when it came time to rename and register our new CS36T, we found out that Swallow was already in use. So we opted for the Gaelic version as I have both Irish and Scottish blood in me (which accounts for sooo much  

I would love to know if there is another Fáinleog out there.


----------



## Sasha_V

We have a bit fo a fleet besides the big(is) boat. Small boat names are somewhat more whimsical.

We have have a 100 year old Huon Pine sailing dinghy called *FRAPP!* (The really bad sound it makes if you come in to dock too hard and happen to know how much a plank of Huon Pine is worth).

We have an inlfatable tender that was happily nameless until our nearly two year old son got to go for a ride in it. He walked up to wear it was sitting on the grass, touched the bow and proclaimed "DUCK!"...Nice to know he already has the lingo down pat. So *Duck* it is. (When strapped to the back of Fortis we end up with Brave Duck...which my wife finds amusing and appropriate)

We have a canoe...Named *Gnu*

And a little while ago I bought my wife her own Herron sailing dinghy, which will be raced in various degrees of seriousness....It was promptly
dubbed * A'GNOTHER'GNU* (Because watching usually elderly and very proper club commadores stumble on that during trophy presentation nights would be a good inspiration to win the trophies).

Sasha


----------



## Bill Mc

I heard a Mayday on the VHF and thought I was listening to a comedy. The Coasties didn't think it was to funny. The occupant of the vessel had no clue where they where and both their engines wouldn't run. The Tx sounded like this,.

(MV) Mayday mayday mayday this is Frayed Knot over.
(CG) Captain could you state the name of you vessel again and explain your emergency.
(MV) Frayed Knot over.

As you can imagine this went on for over 30 min. A large ship was summoned to assist and a CG Airplane to locate them. I thought I was going to die laughing.......

Fair Winds,

Bill


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Mine was named after a gunship in viet nam that the previous owner flew... "Honah Lee" The dinghy was "Puff"... the Racing Dinghy, and this is great, is called "Jacky Paper".

Ok, so enough for blah... the other Dinghy I have, is called "Das Dink". No reason, I just liked the name.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

As far as the calls on the radio, I tend to just use the Whiskey-Quebec-Zulu 9917.. I don't like using hte boat's name as it sometimes gets mixed up like the last post did.


----------



## SailinJay

The first boat I owned was named "Weezie" which was the name of the wife of the guy who I got it from. It was a "free" boat, a '76 Catalina 22, and I did a lot of work on it. I fooled the name gods (I think) by renaming her "Wheezy" because of her age and condition.

My goal even then was to buy a new boat and I did in 2003, a Catalina 350. Long before I bought the boat I picked the name "Second Wind." Yes, I know that's a pretty common one but I did not realize it at the time. I chose that name because (1) it would be my second boat and (2) it was the boat I intended to use after I retired, in the second half of my life. I retired in 2005.


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## Bill Mc

The coasties ask me what my issue was after I hailed a friends boat. The name of his boat is 10-10.

Ten Ten,Ten Ten, Ten Ten this is Tumbleweed over. I think they thought it was a pan pan due to my accent?? Accent, I don't have an accent... Do I ????

Fair Winds,

Bill


----------



## TSOJOURNER

My present boat is named because of her character , she was a total wreck when we got her , Someone had covered her with yellow house paint (grotty yellow ta boot)and after lots of TLC , elbow grease , itchy fiberglass episodes and offerings to West Marine she has emerged to become a sweet little daysailor , we are no longer embarassed to pull behind our van and blaze her across Lake Champlain. She has become the silk purse made from a sows ear hence her name "The Silk Pig " ahhh we love her .


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Can you name a boat "MAYDAY"?


----------



## Freesail99

emjaybee said:


> Can you name a boat "MAYDAY"?


Why would you want to ? Your playing with your life, if you need to make the call....


----------



## badsneakers

I understand that there's a proper christening ceremony for naming a boat. My question is: Is there a "de-naming" ceremony that must take place when re-naming a boat?


----------



## Bill Mc

Yes, there is a denaming ceremony.

http://www.48north.com/mr_offline/denaming.htm

Fair Winds,

Bill


----------



## eryka

sailingdog said:


> LOL... that's nice, but I'm generally not a fan of naming the dinghy something related to the name of the mothership, since it points out that you're off your boat, and can lead thieves to your unoccupied boat. Call me paranoid...but my friends used to do the same thing... and the thieves stole their dinghy off the dock and used it to steal most everything of value off their boat. To add insult to injury, they stole the dinghy and motor too.


And yet, for every such story, I've heard one where the dinghy drifted away, and the anchorage-neighbors only knew who to return it to because it WAS named to link it to the mother ship.

We have 2 dinghies - one is a something of a decoy, stays tied to our stern even if we're gone...and we can name our primary dink what we will.


----------



## eryka

Our first sailboat came with the name "Bassackwards" ... and we claimed we'd keep the name only as long as it accurately described the way we sailed.

The dinghy we towed behind it had "Front" painted on the transom!


----------



## flyingwelshman

*I was going to call my boat 'Scheharazade'*



Freesail99 said:


> My boat came with the name Anne Marie. Now I dated a Anne Marie, great body but what a bi..... Anyway, a girl friend suggested Wind Angel, I didn't like it. Then she came up with Ark Angel, which was ok. I was going to use the name.
> I was recently going through some things and I came upon an old book I had. I always liked the book. So the name of my boat is ( and I had the name printed already so I am not changing it ) is Scheherazade.


I thought it meant 'Princess'.

Then I looked it up:

"SHAHRAZAD

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Iranian, Arabic

Other Scripts: شهرزاد (Arabic)
Means "person of the city" from the Persian elements shahr "city" and zad "person". This is the name of the fictional storyteller in 'The 1001 Nights'. She tells a story to her husband the king every night for 1001 nights in order to delay her execution."

That made me change my mind.

We decided to keep the name that the previous owner gave the boat: "Northern Lights"


----------



## Freesail99

Flyingwelchman, A pretty good book and a hell of a name. I have met in the past year 3 women, who's real name is Scherazade. My Daughter Courtney is happy that I heard the name Courtney before thinking of Scherazade ......


----------



## flyingwelshman

*I like the name as well....*



Freesail99 said:


> Flyingwelchman, A pretty good book and a hell of a name. I have met in the past year 3 women, who's real name is Scherazade. My Daughter Courtney is happy that I heard the name Courtney before thinking of Scherazade ......


The part that threw me was the "city dweller" part.
I thought that my wife's and my daughter's names were derived from Scheharazade, but one means 'desert flower' and one means 'princess'.

I really wanted to change the name of my boat, but I have grown attached to it. I might go for the Cree version: "Wawatay".


----------



## Freesail99

I know that there are a few different spelling of the name. The spelling I use is the more traditional one.


----------



## LittleMissMagic

*Little Miss Magic, A magical name*

I might as well put my two cents worth in for anyone who may be interested. My boat a San Juan 26, was given to me by my Dad as a christmas present in 2004. It was a victim of hurricane Ivan. It had been dismasted, had it's rudder broken and a few other minor flaws. I had sailed with my Dad for years on his boats, including a Catalina 21? and his current vessel an Irwin 34 Citation named Caddywampus.I had expressed a desire to own something like a Hobie cat or tornado. He bought this San Juan and did all of the repairs himself unbeknownst to me. He presented me a photo album with a picture of the completed boat at a Christmas party held by his girlfriend.
It was a good memory for me and totally unexpected. At the time my wife and I had two girls, a seven and five year old, on top of this my wife had just discovered that we had one more on the way. This turned out to be my son, the son of a son of a sailor. 
To digress the boat needed a name. Some of you may know a song by Jimmy Buffett named "Little Miss Magic", written about his daughter fit my feelings about my own girls. Check it out Dads it's a great song about your little girls.
Thus the unnamed San Juan became Little Miss Magic in honor of my two girls, Olivia and Lauren. We have made many memories on this boat. It will be a hard day when it comes time to let someone else make a few memories on it. 
Thanks for listening to my story, I hope it isn't too mushy for all you old crusty salts out there.
"Constantly amazed by the blades of the fan on the ceiling, her clever little glances she gives me can't help but be appealing, she loves to ride into town with the top down, feel that warm breeze on her gentle skin, she is my next of kin" -Jimmy Buffett _Little Miss Magic_


----------



## txmatt

I named mine Quark after James Baldwin's boat Atom.


----------



## retclt

Little Miss Magic,
I love that story.


----------



## tdw

retclt said:


> Little Miss Magic,
> I love that story.


Our girl is Silver Raven after the song by former Byrds member the late Gene Clark. Inflatable is unnamed as yet but our hard dinghy is called "Soggy Wombat". Maybe I'll call the inflatable "Fluffy".

Ref the mention of John Mortimer and Rumpole of the Bailey ( a fabulous series by the way, superior television indeed ) my nickname for Ms Wombat is "She who Must Not Be Interupted". (gee I'm glad she doesn't read this.)


----------



## retclt

Our current boat has never had a name. We're still debating. She wants "Cool Change" and I want "Escape". She's probably going to win.

"She who Must Not Be Interupted"? My better half has the same name. I didn't know it 'til now . . . but she does.

Oh well, that beers done.

Adios


----------



## Rockter

MIne was pre-named, so I don't change it.

There are some very fine names if you look at a star atlas... the astronomical type. Some of them are very quaint.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

My recently purchased 1972 Newport has no name on it. My girlfriend and I were both thinking of naming it after a character in one of our favorite books, John Cotton, from Bless the Beasts and Children (he stands for determination and rebellion). But, it seems like it's kinda unacceptable to give your boat a guy's name. How does everyone feel about that "rule?" Will the ocean gods crush us? Will I never get laid again?


----------



## zz4gta

"guy's name" IMHO just ain't right. But its your boat.


----------



## kwaltersmi

Ours is likely to be called "Hannibel" after our two daughters, Hannah and Isabel. We haven't made it official yet as we're still considering a few others:

"Ohana" - Hawaiian word for family
"Manana" - Because when we're on the boat everything else can wait until tomorrow.
"Mojito" or "Mojito Moon" - Because we really like mojitos on the boat

A few other names I've seen in our home port that crack me up are:

"Myasis Dragon" and "Helabudingy"


----------



## LittleMissMagic

jimmiebuchanan said:


> My recently purchased 1972 Newport has no name on it. My girlfriend and I were both thinking of naming it after a character in one of our favorite books, John Cotton, from Bless the Beasts and Children (he stands for determination and rebellion). But, it seems like it's kinda unacceptable to give your boat a guy's name. How does everyone feel about that "rule?" Will the ocean gods crush us? Will I never get laid again?


It's your boat so name it whatever you want. Just so you know though, traditionally work boats and men-o-war are given masculine names.


----------



## heinzir

I know that there are many boats named Chiquita but I don't think any fit the name as well as mine. The exaggerated sheer (think banana), the yellow color, and my Spanish heritage (Chiquita is Spanish for "little girl")
combine to make Chiquita the only name that really fits. (The dink is named Chiq-let)

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2380536960049039029NEXZbI
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2807275770049039029kGreJh
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2423430830049039029uyfFJP
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2771930630049039029AVPVwl
http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2755956390049039029qNDOGx

Henry Rodriguez
Chiquita


----------



## LittleMissMagic

Excellent name, nice looking boat. I especially like the steps on the rudder.


----------



## sailingdog

Henry—

Very fitting name.


----------



## tdw

retclt said:


> Our current boat has never had a name. We're still debating. She wants "Cool Change" and I want "Escape". She's probably going to win.
> 
> "She who Must Not Be Interupted"? My better half has the same name. I didn't know it 'til now . . . but she does.
> 
> Oh well, that beers done.
> 
> Adios


Here's the go, you call her "Cold Day in Hell" cos that's about when you will win that argument. When we renamed Raven, Ms W, couldn't come up with a single decent idea she just kept on rejecting mine. "Grievous Angel" (Gram Parsons Album, song by the Louvins I think) was my preferred option but 'consensus' won out and Silver Raven it was. Great tune by one of my favoruites so I was not too concerned.

ps - consensus - another word for giving up when you know you are licked.

ps - 'don't talk while she's interupting' is also a favourite line when referring to the Divine Ms W.


----------



## tdw

heinzir said:


> I know that there are many boats named Chiquita but I don't think any fit the name as well as mine. The exaggerated sheer (think banana), the yellow color, and my Spanish heritage (Chiquita is Spanish for "little girl")
> combine to make Chiquita the only name that really fits. (The dink is named Chiq-let)
> 
> http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2380536960049039029NEXZbI
> http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2807275770049039029kGreJh
> http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2423430830049039029uyfFJP
> http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2771930630049039029AVPVwl
> http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2755956390049039029qNDOGx
> 
> Henry Rodriguez
> Chiquita


Someone else here has one of those. Was it Dale ? I think so.

Do you have to put on a harness when you climb the rudder ?


----------



## SailorPam

The previous owner of our boat was relaxing in the cockpit while out at anchor with friends and declared, "Who needs drugs, this is my Prozac." 
It fit us, he consented and we retained the name My Prozac. The dink is named Half Dose.


----------



## retclt

I was once on a boat Called "***** Cat". Almost every bridge tender between here and Miami Laughed and said "the What - ha ha ha ha ha"? There was another boat called "Fork It" in our crowd. 

Food for thought - you'll have to use that name over the radio sometime.


----------



## CBinRI

I haven't seen any reference to "Passing Wind" yet.


----------



## Classic30

Surely no-one would be *that* silly...

I remember a Mirror dinghy skippered by a rather large gentleman that was called "Bulk Carrier"! 

--Cameron


----------



## Yugi

My boats name is *Knot Priority*. Because every time I want to go for a sail instead of working on some demestic task, my wife says: Thats not priority, dear.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Choosing my boat's name worried me months before I found her. I would've kept a half-original sounding name, but 'Memories' just didn't cut it.
I checked a list of stars and found Alula (Borealis, so I guess there's an Alula Australis?). Looked it up in the dictionary and it says "bastard wing", I like the sound of that! I mis-pronounce it and call her ah-LOO-la, which has a sorta Polynesian sound to it. ('Sposed to be ALL-you-la.)

Maybe I read too much into my boat's personality, so I like to name her like a cowboy's horse or a pet. A 30ft, 5 ton pet.

FA


----------



## tdw

My all time fav is WOFTAM.


----------



## akavishon

I named my boat "vesna". In slavic mythology, it's the goddess of spring, meaning "messenger".

It's also my mother's name


----------



## sailingnewby

Came with the boat, i like the name though. Expedition.
Be carful in naming your boat though. I wouldnt name it the titanic or anything along those lines.


----------



## SimonV

The people at the australian Ships Register wouldnt let me use this




NORFOLK & HOPE

I just dont now why


----------



## dongreerps

It's a terrible name, but my all time favorite was seen in the Virgins - "JABDIP"
Just another boring day in paradise


----------



## 6string

Why is a Ship called "She"

A ship is called "She" because there is always a great deal of bustle around her; there is usually a gang of men about; she has a waist and stay; it takes a lot of paint to keep her good looking; it is not the initial expense that breaks you, it's the up keep; she can be all decked out; it takes an experienced man to handle her correctly; and with out a man at the helm, she is absolutely uncontrollable; she shows her topsides and hides her bottom, and when coming into port, always heads for the bouys!


----------



## retclt

sailingnewby said:


> I wouldnt name it the titanic or anything along those lines.


I have an old Ocean Almanac. The chapter concerning naming say's it's bad luck to have a seven character name.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Our First sailboat was "Empty Nest". The kids were gone and that was the perfect name. This sailboat is named after my husband (LOL!!) Hot Air!!


----------



## gnsail

When I finally find my perfect boat. I am going to name her one of the two. la bella vita or la buona vita


----------



## tjvanginkel

My favorite boat name so far is a local dinghy named "Toad Behind"


----------



## Zoo

Had a boat once named after our dog, Magnum, called it Magnum's Toy and we were his crew. Another, Zoo: 5 kids, 2 dogs, 1 screaming husband, what else could you call it?
The rest came named.


----------



## drynoc

The previous owner of my boat, a Yankee from Rhode Island, named it "Sherman's March". I have been meaning to change it, but haven't gotten around to it.

There is a boat in my marina named "Bob" (boring) and another named "Unfunded Requirement" (perfect).


----------



## cockeyedbob

drynoc said:


> "Bob" (boring).


Yep, boring ... so boring I've started to spell it backwards just to liven things up a bit ... upsidedown it's qoq ... Bobs of the world, where's your outrage?


----------



## sailortjk1

Hey, that reminds me. What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs swimming in the ocean?

I don't think the boat was named after a person, but rather the activity.


""There is a boat in my marina named "Bob" (boring)""


----------



## retclt

cockeyedbob said:


> Yep, boring ... so boring I've started to spell it backwards just to liven things up a bit ... upsidedown it's qoq ... Bobs of the world, where's your outrage?


I get outraged when people thow an extra O into my name . . . . . . . I wonder what that would look like on the transom?


----------



## TSOJOURNER

The fishing boat, the ski boat, the canoe all went unnamed. Our first sailboat was "Me Too" because when I first told my wife I loved her, she said "Me too!" The second sailboat was "Me Too II" but that became "me tutu" among the jokesters in the harbor. They wanted to know which one of us was the ballerina! Third boat was called "Kismet" which came with her, and seemed appropriate, as fate would have it. Present boat was called "Earresponsible" because the PO sold hearing aids. That wouldn't do, so she became "Ragtime" which certainly is not original, but it gives me an excuse to give copies of Scott Joplin recordings to visitors. It has always been my feeling that it is harder to name a boat than to name your kids! In our marina there are certain admirable names, such as "Le Bon Temps" "Tuesday's Child" "No Egrets" and so on, but only a stink pot owner would call his boat "Wet Dream."


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Our boat, _Stella_ is a 1984 Ticon 30.

My wife wasn't very keen on getting a boat. I was trying to think of a way to bring her around to the idea.

The conversation went something like this:

Susan: "If you think we're getting a sailboat YOU'RE CRAZY!"
Tim: "I was thinking we would name it after your mother."
Susan: "Oh, she would really like that!"


----------



## cockeyedbob

St Pete ... years ago ... derelict ... named I SOAR 

Get it, EYESORE ...

Boats named Bob ...

After the war, when the GI's rotated home, one country found itself with a surplus of children.

Many went to good Catholic charity homes. The cute cuddly ones were readily adopted, the not so cute stayed a bit longer, the not quite right stayed until the nuns kicked them out.

In the beginning, the place was so poor that we shared everything, including underwear. The wash came off the line and kids scrambled for whatever seemed to fit. Luckily, the weather was warm year around and shorts were the uniform of the day.

One day, the Reverend Mother received a case of GI boxer shorts and each child was issued his or her very own pair! Proudly displaying our newly aquired wealth, we stood in line to have our names applied to the front waist band, a proceedure Mother hoped would instill pride in her children and prevent the everpresent squabbles.

My turn finally arrived, the Parked flashed briefly, and in an instant I was branded for life. I looked down at the waistband and there, in all its glory, was my name! qoq!

It's funny now, but for quite a while I was known as qoq. 

There ya have it. True story. All my boats have qoq as part of the name, I just turn it upside down to make it easier to pronounce.


----------



## Strangeflow

One of the better ones i've heard of was in a book. ICFIGIN "I can feel it going in now" ...something to do with injectors ;D

I have a nameless santana 21 right now, the next boat, possibly a Columbia 36' is Going to be named Strangeflow, don't really know why. It just came to me one day but it's kinda the way i live my life, a little on the strange side, but it still flows. i dunno.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Our US 30' came with the name "Wu-Wei". We were going to rename her. We discovered that she was renamed by the PO (for like the upteenth time), and this was Tao for "Going with the flow..." Since it was more like "Going with the flow of our wallets" as we dumped them to the sea in her refit, we kept the name. The sad part? When Wu-Wei was on the hard, getting her new engine refit, we scraped off the old vinyl decals (to prep her for an Awl-Grip job to the hull.) We could see where her old previous names had been in the faded old gelcoat. They did not even rename her right! That's just wrong- even on our shakedown cruise, we poured good rum over the bow and said a little prayer to Poseidon and Wu-Wei. Old girl sails like a dream, and she defintely is worth "going with the flow of our wallets..." (Although, it is funny when the drunken power boaters scream, "Woo-whee!" while waking us...and seeing them get pulled over by marine patrol...)

Our current dink has no name, but if you are in another country, it is always a good idea to have a bumper sticker that says, "My other boat is a power boat!" Yes, it is always good advertising to thieves! A great way to pay back that ass who waked you.

Chris 
US 30' Wu-Wei
http://www.diysailor.com


----------



## StoneAge

Ours came with "Melody Dawn" as her name - Named for the previous owner's wife. I couldn't see me and my family living on someone elses wife, so we changed it.. took 2 years, but we came up with "Stone Age". Why? Because it's a ferro cement hull. s'tonnage.. 32 of them. (tons) Also because we have been accused of living in the Stone Age because of our not owning a microwave oven (they kill your food). So we now indeed do live in the Stone Age ;-) (picture to come after she's painted)


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## ereiss

*how we named "Being There"*

Naming children is easier. Decided on "Being There" because:

1. Loved the book/movie.
2. Heard quote (something like) "Power boaters get on their boats to "get there", sailors get on their boats to "Be There". Spoke volumes to me.

Always thought dinghy should be named Getting There.

Not superstitious, no naming ceremony.

Ed Reiss
Being There
Pearson 33-2 (on the market)
out of Marion, MA


----------



## denby

ereiss said:


> Naming children is easier. Decided on "Being There" because:
> 
> 1. Loved the book/movie.
> 2. Heard quote (something like) "Power boaters get on their boats to "get there", sailors get on their boats to "Be There". Spoke volumes to me.
> 
> Always thought dinghy should be named Getting There.
> 
> Not superstitious, no naming ceremony.
> 
> Ed Reiss
> Being There
> Pearson 33-2 (on the market)
> out of Marion, MA


couldn't find a virgin for the naming ceremony?

Dennis


----------



## Rainbowgypsy

When we bought our boat she was called Maxi-Nique....didn't suit us so we changed it to Rainbow Gypsy.
My husband was an "expat" gypsy for years and I am South African - called the Rainbow Nation by Archbishop Tutu. It seemed an obvious name to us.


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## denby

Welcome aboard Rainbow. You will find Sailnet to be a good site for knowledge and fun.


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## Lion35

When I got my boat she was named "Lion" and I was frantically trying to come up with a new name. I took too long and everyone started to use the name so I kept it. The boat's been Lion since the mid 60s and I'm happy I didn't change it. The rub is she's a Cheoy Lee Lion, so it's like calling your Camero "Camero".

I'm finally buying a new boat (if the stars continue to align correctly) and I've commited myself to re-naming her before she gets to home port.

There was kid in our harbor last year with a rowing dinging named "The Dirty Oar", cracked me up.

Also, a race boat named "Phucifino"


----------



## sailingdog

Lion-

Be sure to use John Vigor's Boat Denaming/renaming ceremony.


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## witzgall

tenuki said:


> There was supposedly a racing boat around here called FWOTAM, never saw her myself.


I knew a racing boat named WOFTAM. Must have been a more polite crowd.

Chris


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## supergrade

Lion35 said:


> . The rub is she's a Cheoy Lee Lion....


lions are incredible boats. I'm jealous


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## TSOJOURNER

The previous owner got into a bottle of gin one night, where she had a moment of awakening for the boat name. CLARITY. The name remains to this day.


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## Rainbowgypsy

Thank you for the welcome Denby. Am I doing the right thing replying through this section? Have never used a forum before.

Saw a dinghy at the club this morning which cracked me up: *Aspirin tt Panacea*.


----------



## orient

Last boat 1986 Hylas 42. Raced the Mac 1986-1991. Named Orient Express. Made in the orient and was very fast.

New boat named Somewhere from West Side Story. Plan on a year long cruise and know we will end up somewhere.


s/v Somewhere
Jeanneau 54DS


----------



## denby

Rainbowgypsy said:


> Thank you for the welcome Denby. Am I doing the right thing replying through this section? Have never used a forum before.
> 
> Saw a dinghy at the club this morning which cracked me up: *Aspirin tt Panacea*.


You're doing ok Rainbow. What kind of boat do you have and where in the world do you sail?


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## JiffyLube

My wife named our boat Grasshopper. Our last name is Grass, and we planned on doing a lot of port hopping...hence that name Grasshopper.


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## sailaway21

That's cool!


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## pagansdad

Best name I have seen yet was, "She got the house".


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## PalmettoSailor

I've seen some folks had the same name for a series of boats. Any rules of etiquette or maritime tradition on this? 

We are shopping for our next boat and have yet to come up with a name we like better than that of our previous boat, but don't really like the "(Insert Name Here) II" option. I know the new owner of our old boat plans to retain the name but the boat will be sailing new waters so no conflict there.


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## kerry

*Poof! BeGone*

Came with the boat with a great explanation from PO.


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## Lion35

> My wife named our boat Grasshopper. Our last name is Grass, and we planned on doing a lot of port hopping...hence that name Grasshopper.


Nice name!


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## TrueBlue

True Blue, true to a love of the deep blue, a boat that continuously proved to be a true blue friend, Nauticat is a true blue-blood boat - bred with thousands of proven passage-makers since the 1960's. 

Although the boat's name has been passed down from the original owner, it just seemed to fit - no reason to change the name.


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## sailaway21

midlifesailor,
I, like you, am unmoved by the assigning of generations to boat names. it seems to be a recreational boat, primarily power-boat, phenomena. You don't see merchant ship companies doing this nor the Navy though they both have vessels named the same as previously named vessels. USS Enterprise is I believe the second, maybe the third, naval ship to carry the name. How strange it would be to see her named Enterprise II, almost begging the question of how thing's worked out for number "I".

I say, if you like a name, there's absolutely no reason on earth not to have a succession of boats named the same. And if the prior boat with the name has brought you good fortune, naming the next one similarly would be considered an honor to that good fortune.


----------



## PalmettoSailor

sailaway21 said:


> midlifesailor,
> I, like you, am unmoved by the assigning of generations to boat names. it seems to be a recreational boat, primarily power-boat, phenomena. You don't see merchant ship companies doing this nor the Navy though they both have vessels named the same as previously named vessels. USS Enterprise is I believe the second, maybe the third, naval ship to carry the name. How strange it would be to see her named Enterprise II, almost begging the question of how thing's worked out for number "I".
> 
> I say, if you like a name, there's absolutely no reason on earth not to have a succession of boats named the same. And if the prior boat with the name has brought you good fortune, naming the next one similarly would be considered an honor to that good fortune.


Thanks for the clearly thought out respose.

Unless touched with a stoke of brilliance while the search continues for our next boat, she'll be rechristened "Palmetto Moon" when we find her.

The name, reflects the elements of our home State flag and shows our South Carolina origins. I also think it has a nice coastal flavor. Hopefully, we'll one day move back south and sail those waters.


----------



## WinterRiver

Had to fill in a name for our new (to us) boat for the first time last Friday: Winter River.

Probably not a big surprise here, since that's the name I use here. A few weeks ago our younger daughter was reading over my shoulder and asked if Winter River was going to be the name of our boat. I hadn't really been considering it, or any name, since there were so many other things to coordinate and big decisions to be made. Winter River started growing on us as a boat name.

The kids declared it "lame" and were given the opportunity to come up with something they liked better. "I Like Pie" and "Better Than Swimming" were the two front runners. Ummm, I don't think so. If they can agree on something, they can name the dinghy.

I checked the documented boat names, and there isn't another Winter River. There are 2 Winter Sux and 1 Winter Sucks, a Winter We Ski, lots of Winter's Dream, etc.

Where does Winter River come from? At first glance it doesn't seem like a traditional boat name, but naming boats after women is the ultimate tradition. Winter and River are our daughters' middle names.


----------



## sailingdog

I think that "Better than swimming" is a great name for a dinghy.


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## mstern

When I bought my boat nine years ago, it was October, and she was laid up for the winter. The PO had named the boat "Biloxi Blues" in honor of his feelings for his hometown. I had no new name in the wings waiting, and I remember thinking that I had plenty of time to come up with a new name before launching in the spring. Well, my birthday comes along and my wife throws me a surpise party, and many of the gifts are boat-related, many emblazoned with "Biloxi Blues". Some really nice t shirts, hats, etc. So much for renaming the boat that spring. How could I waste such nice gifts? Fast forward to a few years later: my family takes a vacation on the Big Island in Hawaii. I have always loved the islands, and while there, my young daughter and I take a hula lesson to the tune of that old tourist chestnut "Hukilau". We couldn't get the song out of our heads for months. I decided to rename my boat "Hukilau". Reminds me of my family in paradise. Not to mention that the old t shirts and hats had finally worn out.


----------



## MABON01

After properly denaming, I renamed the boat after the first girl to steal my heart and soul completely. I named her Sarah Elizabeth.... after my daughter.

Fair winds to all of us,
Nik

Sarah Elizabeth
Mac 26
Michigan City, IN
Lake Michigan


----------



## rats319

Boat is maned Ivy. its a play on words fo the roman numeral IV which is part of my name.


----------



## Classic30

One of the dumbest names I've come across recently was "T L Sea" written in fancy script.

Coming into the berth behind, it looked to me (half blind from Sailnet addiction) like "TLS"! - I thought "Who the stuff would name their boat TLS??"

Moral: Be careful what you name your boat, but be even more careful* how* you name it..


----------



## mtboat

Illusion. Came with the boat. It just fits.


----------



## docbob5707

Crysta - My wife's dancing name, she was a middle eastern (belly) dancer.
"Doc" Bob


----------



## mccary

LittleMissMagic said:


> ... I hope it isn't too mushy for all you old crusty salts out there.
> "Constantly amazed by the blades of the fan on the ceiling, her clever little glances she gives me can't help but be appealing, she loves to ride into town with the top down, feel that warm breeze on her gentle skin, she is my next of kin" -Jimmy Buffett _Little Miss Magic_


Thanks, one of my favorite songs by JB. My daughter and I have a very special relationship even though she lives 400 miles away. Now my granddaughter gives me double reason to like the song more. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o> </o>


----------



## mccary

RAGTIMEDON said:


> ... Present boat was called "Earresponsible" because the PO sold hearing aids. That wouldn't do, so she became "Ragtime" ..."


A close friend bought a 22' boat 30 years ago named Irresponsible. At that time, he was that kind of person and thought he was making that kind of decision. When he moved up to a 33' boat a few years later he named her "Irresponsible Too". When he moved up to his current/3rd boat, a Melges 24 he named her, "Totally Irresponsible." One wonders what his next boat will be named...

My first boat was a Lido 14' that my wife and I named her Slithery Dee after a little known Smothers Brothers song. My next boat was a Clipper 21 and was Slithery Dee II. When I moved to a 22' sailboat I thought a more serious name seemed in order. My wife the English teacher came up with Aeolus after the Greek god of the wind. 29 years later (March '07) we purchased a Catalina 27 and renamed her Aeolus II.


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## speciald

Special Delivery - I'm a retired physician that specialized in high-risk pregnancies.


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## TSOJOURNER

Do y'all think it is ok to rename a previously-owned boat? I have read the post and I gather from the people who have posted that y'all don't believe it is bad luck to remove an old name on a boat. However, I think a lot of you did christen your boat with a new name and have a ceremony. Right?


----------



## Pogo-2

Trust me, the PO changed the name of the boat and had some very unusual problems with the boat. When I askd if he denamed the boat and all, he said e didn't believe in it. When I got the boat, I started to have some issues with it so I denamed both the previous names an chistianed it with a new name, by the letter and have no real problems with it in 6 years.


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## TSOJOURNER

Venus is the nickname I gave my wife when I first met her, as she is my Goddess of Love and Beauty. We ritually denamed the boat along with about a dozen friends (former name was AVENTURA), and officially named her VENUS a month after we got her. I always liked boats named after women, and she likes having the boat named after her, so it's perfect for us.


----------



## Hobos

Homeward Bound, HOBO for short also Hood Bomia, current owners.


----------



## Pogo-2

I had a name the boat contest and "Mast Confusion" won out, I've been sailing since I was 10 and I'm now 63, so I do have a fair amount of sailing skills and experience. my boats are a Newport 30, and a 1939 Snipe "Mustang Sally" after my wife who passed away, 10' dinghy. I've sailed on everything from a sunfish to the USS Saratoga CVA 60. Nothing, absolutely nothing more fun than messing with boats.


----------



## gclayton

My first boat was an Oday 23 renamed Adullum which is an old testament place of refuge and restoration. My current boat is named New Perspetive because whenever Im on her, on the hard, at the slip or on the water thats what she gives me. A new Perspective.


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## TSOJOURNER

Name: HIGH COTTON

I came home one Friday from 6th grade school and a 16' boat with 25hp outboard sitting on a trailer...... NAVY OFFICER Dad's first boat......

while cruising up the ICW at Jacksonville Beach, my Mom sitting in the back with a beer sez.......

We're in HIGH COTTON now!!!!
(You'll understand if you're SOUTHERN!)


----------



## MABON01

*By all means if you want to...*



bunnytomerlin said:


> Do y'all think it is ok to rename a previously-owned boat? I have read the post and I gather from the people who have posted that y'all don't believe it is bad luck to remove an old name on a boat. However, I think a lot of you did christen your boat with a new name and have a ceremony. Right?


Go ahead and rename your boat as you see fit; afterall, it is going to be an extension of you. Just remember to do a denaming cerimony (superstitious or just more fun) and a proper renaming cerimony as well. One must keep the gods happy.


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## Jeff_H

I do not believe in frivolous superstition. Now then ritual, which has been proven to have definite cause and effect, such as the one about changing the name of a boat, you must respect. I am sure that some would say that this is just coincidence but of the twenty plus boats owned by myself and my family, we only changed the name of three, that was the two that lost their masts and the one that was sunk on the rocks at Fort Totten. Not a large scientific sampling mind you, but a 100% correlation sounds like cause and effect to me. I don't believe in superstition except when it can be proven by a scientific method

I once owned a boat that was named 'Miss Blitz' when I bought her. I thought the name was a bit too 'Nazi' sounding for my taste. I had decided to just call the boat, 'Miss B.' which I did not see as a name change but an abbreviation. The trouble was 'Miss B.' had no meaning. I thought about it for a while and one day decided to add the name of my previous boat as a last name. My previous boat had been called 'Havn' which is Scandinavian for a port of refuge (similar to the English word 'haven'.) The boat became 'Miss B. Havn' and was mostly a very lucky boat for me. The choice of name lead to some funny stories. For example our main racing competition referred to her as "Missbegotten".
<O
One funny story with that name came when I was getting the mortgage for my first house and I went to a loan officer. She had looked at my application and noticed that the only debt that I had was my boat loan. After going over everything she said," This all looks fine especially the fact that you have no other debts."

Trying to be accurate, I said," Well, actually the only expenses that I have is 'Miss B. Havn'." 
<O
She responded, " I sure know what you mean!" She was a bit embarrassed when I explained that 'Miss B. Havn' was the name of my boat. 
<O
Another funny story about the name change occurred when I put the new name on her. I decided to add a cove stripe and to put the name on her in the same vinyl. I put the name on working upside down while the boat was in the water. Once I had put the name on the topsides, I had wanted to see how it looked. I began to walk backwards down the dock trying to get a sense of the lettering size relative to the boat length and eventually walked backwards off the dock. Just as I realized that I was beginning to fall off the dock, I twisted my upper body around. There was a 41 footer tied to the dock right behind me and as I fell, I grabbed his lifelines and caught myself so that I did not actually fall in the water. I was then able to pull myself up and back onto the dock without actually getting anything except the tips of my shoes wet.
<O
They were expanding the marina office at that time and a carpenter saw me fall off of the dock and turned to his buddies and said, "Someone fell off of the dock" but when he turned around again, I was standing on the dock dry. As I walked up the dock to my house, I passed the carpenters and said, "You would not believe what just happened " and began to tell the story when the carpenter who had witnessed the event got excited and said, "You see, you guys, he did fall off the dock!!!!!" 
<O


----------



## GreenEgg

Our boat is named after our family.
Both my name, and my husbands name, start with the letter "S".
My daughter's name starts with the letter "J", and our son's name starts with the letter "K".

Therefore, our boat is Sasjak. (a = and).

We are using a canoe for a dinghy, since my daughter rammed the inflatable into some steel rods, sitting 4" under the water line, but the dinghy had been called......Jak-off. 

Get it?

Get the kids off the boat.......


----------



## artbyjody

"Amante" was the name my C-27 came with. Italian for Lover - so I left it....

My new boat has another italian name on it but it is an Italian designed / built boat but I am renaming it to "Hello Gorgeous"...as finally I am getting the boat I want, it looks great (to me), and down south (I grew up in SC), it was a common greeting from women to men and vice versus...and it has a nice ring to it..


----------



## denby

bunnytomerlin said:


> Do y'all think it is ok to rename a previously-owned boat? I have read the post and I gather from the people who have posted that y'all don't believe it is bad luck to remove an old name on a boat. However, I think a lot of you did christen your boat with a new name and have a ceremony. Right?


Welcome aboard bunny,

Do the denaming ceremony and renaming ceremony, both are fun and require copious amount of adult beverages. The renaming ceremony also requires a virgin, don't ask me.


----------



## Shortman

*Wouldn't you?*

If the boat you bought was named Tiller the Hun, wouldn't you rename her Slap Shot?


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Thanks to all of you for your input...Ahoy!

Bunny Tomerlin Clark


----------



## Boasun

I'm thinking of the name for my next boat is: _Winds of Time_. Now that is an appropriate name for a sailing vessel.


----------



## RickQuann

I purchased a nameless, divorcee boat, i.e., the name had been removed by a feuding couple. 
Now that is some serious nitpicking! 
I renamed her in honor of my two kids "B2" (pronounced B squared like the algebra term) for my two kids, Bridgette and Benjamin.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

I'm brand new to the site. But my little catalina 22 had no name when i bought it. It is now "Anchor and Flank". The term is a firefighting tactic for wildland fires. Seemed kind of a cute play on words.


----------



## HeadHoncho

My pumpout boat is named "Miasma".


----------



## denby

BobbieRose said:


> I'm brand new to the site. But my little catalina 22 had no name when i bought it. It is now "Anchor and Flank". The term is a firefighting tactic for wildland fires. Seemed kind of a cute play on words.


Welcome aboard Bobbie.


----------



## LarryandSusanMacDonald

Because we intended to eventually purchase a boat and move aboard - our first boat was named Harbinger - promise of things to come. That presented a problem in naming our second (current) boat until I happened to be perusing a marlinspike manual. The Japanese Success knot was described as looking like a square on one side and a plus on the other. These two symbols in cuneiform make the word _Kanau _which means '_a dream realized_'. Perfect name for our boat and we also have a signature knot to go along with it. It took some doing to find out for sure how to pronounce it though. We happened on a guy living in Hawaii who was editing a Japanese-English dictionary and he let us know that it was pronounced - ka-NAH-ou. She's a Morgan Out Island 41 and of course has been referred to on occasion as the "Big Canoe"

A friend of ours has a Pearson 365 which came with the name Prelude. We told him his dinghy should be named Postlude. And the Captain just Lewd.


----------



## jbstack82

My last Boat was 'Despido' Which is Portugese for Naked. Hey gotta get a tan ;->


----------



## Serenity22

Serenity- What I felt setting foot on deck for the very first time. Felt like Mal did showing Zoe around on the show. Just fits.


----------



## sailingdog

LOL... good analogy... but does your first mate carry a shotgun???



Serenity22 said:


> Serenity- What I felt setting foot on deck for the very first time. Felt like Mal did showing Zoe around on the show. Just fits.


----------



## Serenity22

To SD,
No, but the attitude and smart remarks are all there.


----------



## sailingdog

You picked well then... 


Serenity22 said:


> To SD,
> No, but the attitude and smart remarks are all there.


----------



## jnew

HeadHoncho said:


> My pumpout boat is named "Miasma".


That's brilliant!


----------



## TSOJOURNER

If I were to name another boat it would either be

1. "Makaze" japanese word compilation for "black wind"

2. "Porno flick" We're at the sandbar alot.

My last name is "mango" hense the boat name.


----------



## ebs001

PBzeer said:


> Though the original reason for choosing *Aria* came to naught, what it represented still held true. It's taken from a Suzy Bogguss song, Music on the Wind. Not to mention, I didn't really want a boat named Jimmie G, which was the name when I bought her.


PB, "Aria" is an operatic solo a very appropriate name for someone who sails alone and enjoys music.


----------



## fullkeel7

Last boat was a sweet 'lil CD Typhoon ("America's smallest yacht"). Was going to name it Nautilott, but settled for "SPROUT".


----------



## TSOJOURNER

*Boat name*

I just went through the process of nameing my Cheoy Lee Offshore 27. I put allot of thought into it. First off I hate (hope I don't offend anyone too much) when people tell you what they do at there job by making a word pun; for instance "vexatious litigant", or "legal ass sist taint", for lawyers, or Re-tail mogule or the like. I think you should name the boat, not yourself. An example might be; "fun luvin dad" as a bad example. And althogh some people may dissagree, I think it is disrespectfull to the boat (unless the boat itself is a joke ) to intentionaly misspell the name like highschool girls do in text mesaging like " sea yah latur", or "kant tuch zis", or Karolina Gurl". 
So now that I have spouted off about what I dont like, this is what I do like. I made a list of names (about 60 or so) which I considered true to my passions, and the boats personality. The first 10 or so were sea birds which I consider beautifull, like Sand piper or osprey, then a list of female names I like Annabele Lee, or Laurel, and which didn't have a romantic history with, then a list of names true to the boats origin and model lineage like Red Dragon, Dragon Flier, or Gulf stream Flier, Then a few like Tenatious Lee, and Intrepid Lee ( after all it is a Cheoy Lee ). I also included the names of a few of my favoirte flowers like Dahlia, and Forsithea. I put down about 20 other random names like animals and foods Ex. Apricot, Marsipan, Anole, and Gazell, to fill out, as stated, about 60 names. I milled over the list for a few days, then picked the 10 which spoke to me the most, printed them up with a picture of the boat, and had my friends choose their favorite three. About 20 people voted, and I got an Idea which ones sounded bad to people. In the end I had to decide which one fit her feminine qualities best, and think it over, then commit to it. Her name is Sand Piper, and I might have known it early on, but the exercise let me feal that I had given it due dillegence. Good luck on your quest.


----------



## SJ34

We hated our previous boats name so much (Koala) that we could have been happy naming the new boat something like "Knot Koala". As fate would have it though, the new boat came with "Free Spirit" and it fits so perfectly with our philosophy on life that we left it alone.


----------



## jaschrumpf

Heh. I bought my boat last year and she came with the name "Free Spirit". I've removed everything with that name off her for the denaming ceremony. Her new name will be "Paradiddle". 

If that doesn't mean anything to you, well, I'm an old marching band snare drummer from way back, and a paradiddle is one of the basic snare drum rudiments -- and my personal favorite.


----------



## seawitch1906

*"what's in the name? "*

etiquette , is out the window a long ago ..
first issue.. the boat is a "she" ( that is a good thing ?!#@) 
I read long ago should all boat name have to have a nautical reference or correlation to nautical mythology ( to whom of you know mythology ), i bet my last $ x. gen ,and up never heard of mythology less is a part of some video game ...(all other story..)
me ,being a European have a lot of relevance to mythology so all my boat has to have some sort of nautical folklore in her name ...

MV Seawitch


----------



## montenido

Hi, I just bought my boat in June, '08. It was named "Breeze". Not bad, but not really me. After a great amount of thinking and searching for names, I decided on "Sundance". Reasons? I like how it sounds and the images that it conjures up for me. Another reason is that one of my favorite movies of all time is "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid". Strange, but it works for me.

My $.02


----------



## SteveCox

Came with the name Pyxis which is a Southern Hemisphere constellation. Not bad but not us either. I came up with the new name as a joke and my wife liked it so well it stuck. SEAN O'Sea which is Steve, Earline, Andrew, and Nicole Of the Sea. Respectively, myself, my wife, my son and my daughter all in chronological order. Definitely unique I guess.


----------



## mrhoneydew

retclt said:


> "Bottoms up" could be bad luck for a boat.


Thought once that "This End Up" with arrows pointing up (like on a cardboard box) would be good. Would serve as a pretty fair reminder just in case one were to forget before going out for a sail. Just look at your transom for rule #1 on your pre-departure checklist...  Haven't gotten around to naming one that though. I'm thinking something a little sexier that will be more impressive to the fairer sex...


----------



## Classic30

Whilst on the subject: A few names to avoid: 

"Blue Heeler" - always at the back of the fleet
"Bondage" - spends most of it's time tied up to the dock
"Cyclone" - a slow-moving depression
"Mona Lisa" - lovely to look at, but no good for anything else
"Boomerang" - always comes back, usually not long after leaving the dock
"Kamikaze" - destined to never return

Enjoy.


----------



## beej67

Saw a funny one this weekend:


NOTALOTAYOT


----------



## camaraderie

beej...that was the name we had on our Catalina 22 in the 70's! Great names never die! Thought about naming our HUGE catalina27 "wotalotayot" but the admiral prevailed with "mistral" ...people kept thinking we were lawyers and the boat was called mis-trial.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

*Chaning the name?*

What is the de-naming cremony.?


----------



## TSOJOURNER

She had Swedish colors; so she became Jenny Lind


----------



## TSOJOURNER

The Jenny Lind is a 22 ft. Laguna Windrose 1977sailboat new to me . Motored on the Champlain Canal a few weeks ago,Had a great trip!!


----------



## mrhoneydew

sailcata30 said:


> What is the de-naming cremony.?


A reference to it is somewhere buried back in the thread. Check out:

48° Vigor's Interdenominational Boat Denaming Ceremony

Cheers,

don


----------



## Boasun

For those of us who are past the second and third or more decades of our lives, I've always thought that _"Winds of Time" _would be an excellent name.


----------



## mrhoneydew

I am considering going with something that sounds daring in a tongue in cheek sort of way. Kind of "James Bond meets Jim Carey" since I am by no stretch Bond-like. How does _Middle Name Danger_ sound? Any thoughts?


----------



## Nazdrowie

We purchased ours (22'11" Bruce Roberts Adventure - professionally built) 30 years ago and it was easy to give her a name. It is very healthy and invigorating to sail, so being Polish, we named her "NAZDROWIE" which is "to health" or to your life. I can assure you she has done her fair share of sailing from the West Coast (British Columbia) to the Great Lakes (Ontario) what a great way to keep healthy, even today, thirty years later...Happy sailing.
Domer


----------



## TSOJOURNER

Current name, Shamrock, came with the boat. Entirely too unlucky to rename. We aren't Irish.

Next boat: "Krypsona"...the words comes from an SNL skit with Roger and Virginia (Will Ferrell-Rachel Dratch) the intellectual "lov-ahs". The word Krypsona is used in the context of a vacation house in Greece, but from research on internet Greek-English sites, the word doesn't exist. Are there any Greek experts out there to enlighten me? (Obviously, we aren't Greek either.)


----------



## rawsonnut

*Asking for trouble?*

We have just finished a 1 1/2 year total rebuild after our boat ended up on the bottom after the raw water intake froze and broke. We won't even go into that now, but we are thinking of changing the name to "Resuscitation". It doesn't hurt that both of us work at a Level 1 trauma center! What do you think?


----------



## j34035

I am an electrician by trade. Everyone called me "Sparkie", even though our boat at the time was named something else (Adios). The next boat I was looking for a name and my wife made the obvious choice, "Sparkie Boat". Shortened it back to Sparkie and it has been so for almost 20 years and 4 boats.
DD


----------



## Freesail99

> I am an electrician by trade. Everyone called me "Sparkie"


So why didn't you use Sparkie as your user name here, instead of j34035?


----------



## Karletto

the catamaran was called *Yococo*; Yococo is a japan word and it means double mail box  or something, not 100% sure; the 6m single hull boat was called *Loco Loco* -> 1 Loco on port and 2nd Loco on starboard so Loco Loco; loco is spanish for insane/ crazy

i don't remember what names had boats i chartered


----------



## TSOJOURNER

came with the boat........


----------



## BigAssHam

My last boat was named "Freedonia" because I love the Marx Brothers. In "Duck Soup", Groucho was president of Freedonia and I wanted to emmulate his leadership skills while on the water. 

Come to think of if, we could use a man like him in the White House compared to the jokesters that are running for the position now....


----------



## lynn1120

*boat names*

First boat--30ft Catalina-- Just Because... we were constantly being asked "why do you want/ what can you do with a sailboat on the middle of the Cdn prairies?" when we were shopping in southern Ontario...

lets see-- wind, big skies, wind, hot days, wind, cool nights, did I mention wind?

2nd boat-- 36 ft beneteau cc-- Wye Not (as in wye not get ready for retirement just a little bit early?) actually it was the name of the dingy for Just Because and now it is all grown up

It is easy to dename a boat-- getting the renaming ceremony right is tough-- not too many certified virgins left on the shelf ---as a suggestion, we have had great luck using the oldest sailor/world travelers we know-- so first boat was named with elaborate ceremony by an 85 year old woman and second by a 75 year old man-- that way we knew that when they wished the boat and all her future crew and passengers safe and wonderful journeys there was some pretty extensive experiences and memories backing up the speech..

The sea gods were pleased and appeased and it is always good to share a day on the water with a senior, you can just watch the years fall away and you get a glimpse of the person they were before you were even born. Makes my approaching mid century a little easier to bear ( grin)


----------



## solzephyr

The right name fits the boat and the owner. The best names come to the skipper while underway. Ride her awhile and hear what she says to you.


----------



## yelnats69

*Whats the de-naming ?*



jrd22 said:


> Hated the old name, did the de-naming cremony, went nameless for years until the right one popped into my head while on a cruise.


hello can you explain the de-naming thing please
Stan & karen


----------



## groundhog

Here's a link to a humorus website that lists boat names..

Home

groundhog


----------



## groundhog

www dot boatnamegame dot com


----------



## AllThumbs

Here are some I am considering for my boat:

*Blown Away
After School (my wife and I are both teachers)
Natalie Joan (wife's first and second name)
Grace (daughter's middle name, also what Jesus provides)*

Eric


----------



## anchorsaweigh

Lazybones...after my favorite (but now closed...sniff) rib joint.

All my boats have been re-named Lazybones.


----------



## WinterRiver

AllThumbs said:


> Here are some I am considering for my boat:
> 
> *Blown Away
> After School (my wife and I are both teachers)
> Natalie Joan (wife's first and second name)
> Grace (daughter's middle name, also what Jesus provides)*
> 
> Eric


Not fond of Blown Away. There are about 40 documented boats with that name, and it doesn't seem too original.

On the other hand, there are no documented boats named After School. I like it. Or maybe Detention? There are none named that either.

Wife's name is a classic, just ask Alex.

And although there are 150+ boats named Grace, it seems more classic than unoriginal. (I am partial to the middle name thing. Winter and River are my daughters' middle names.)

Documented Boat Names


----------



## Cope44

Solo From the book "Adrift" by Steven Callahan The boat in the book is named "Napoleon Solo"

I have a car with "Solow" on the plate and figured I would stay with the theme.
The funny thing is I named her before I had ever heard of single handing.










The boat was named Polo when I got her. I did sail backwards across the CA NV state line and spilled a copious amount of beer on her and in the water.

It is a little lame when I take her out with more than just me on board .....


----------



## kale

I Named Mine Private Dancer As When Im In A Sea Way Behind That Destroyer WHEEL Swaing Side To Side Thats What Im Doing Having A Private Dance With Her But I Still Keep THE OLD Name On Board And Will As Long As I Own Her JUST TO BE SAFE


----------



## Cope44

*Names*

Some jokes we throw around.

Boat "Solo"

I dont own a dink but when I do It will be the "Soloist" (see any rock climbing site)

My tow rig is the "Towloist"

The chase car is the "Choloist"

Me and my room mate were tossing around names if I were ever to own a fine blue water boat, She may be "Salt water flush" One of our favorite rock climbs.

Shawn climbing "Salt water flush"


----------



## Cope44

Allthumbs, I would go with "Grace Joan" for your reasons listed above.

FWIW

Just seems fitting to Grace Joan right?


----------



## Cope44

*(ot)*

This is not sailing related but worth watching.

El Capitan Solo vid. (Be inspired)


I learned to climb, so why not learn to sail? (I doubt I'll ever solo any thing any where near that) but when you climb you are with people, and all alone. Everything depends on you and your choices, movements, every little thing gets amplified until it's the greatest feeling or the most humbling experience you care to remember.

I hope this is not to far off topic, I just want to share some in site as to why I call her "solo". I know next to nothing about sailing am and going about learning it "Solo". (Except for the net)

ok no more beer for me I gotta go to work......


----------



## SailChick20

Obsédant is my boat's name....French for obsessive, which is what I was while searching for the perfect boat...and how I am now when it comes to cleaning/sailing/improving her.

I changed the name from Miss Liberty...(named for being a Liberty Cup Edition)....just wasn't feelin' that.


----------



## TSOJOURNER

My poor boat has had three names that I know of, and I'm sure many more over its 43 years. Two owners ago it was called Lemonade, when I bought it it was called Ribbit, which absolutely had to go, so I changed it to Starry Night.


----------



## Classic30

You could always go with something obscure and yet forces people to think twice - like "Ykikamucau"  

..might be difficult to send a Mayday though.


----------



## ckgreenman

Our current boat "Dina Marie" was named after my wife's grandmother (first and middle name). When she passed away, we used my wife's inheritance to buy the boat (which had not been priously named).


----------



## sailingdog

Here's a link to a commonly used de-naming ceremony.

*LINK*


yelnats69 said:


> hello can you explain the de-naming thing please
> Stan & karen


----------



## j34035

Freesail99 said:


> So why didn't you use Sparkie as your user name here, instead of j34035?


I really dont know. If I get a different boat, my user name will be misleading now. I did not think that through. J34035 is my current boat and hull number. I said I was an electrician, not a smart electrician!!
DD


----------



## pondman2008

*Boat naming convention*

We've owned two boats that were named by the previous owners. The first is "All in fun" owned by an accountant???? then the houseboat, previously owned by a nice older couple, appropriately named "the Luv Tub"...
I rest my case! There's no sign of a naming convention.


----------



## SDietz

I've recently bought a 1980 Cat 30. Her name was "C dream" but I've renamed her *Precocious*.


----------



## Izabella01

sailingdog said:


> Mare and Marie may share a common root. Mare is the Latin word for "sea."


Perhaps...but Marie is French for the English Mary or the Spanish Maria.

My boat is 44 yrs old and in that time I has had two names.. one word..
Solitaire for the first two yrs. and then Faith from 1964 to 2006.

I wanted to name her "Demi-Kay" for my two grans.. Demitri whome we call Demi, his elder sister is Kayla Marie ( Marie being my middle name).. then my eldest who is of the terribly jealous of his sister over everything persuasion had a son.. so it got complicated.. My ex usurped Dona Ana.. lady anne in spanish my first name. anne not the lady.. 
I ran though a whole wad of potential names..the double names were discared beause the boat always has had one word names..

Then it dawend on me.. I have ONE dtr, no one can get jealous of.. her name spelling is unusual.. Maja (My-yah) known en familia as My-My

So Maja it tis... she is still not sure if she likes having a boat named after her..

The close runner's up were
"good to go"... everytime my child, who seems to be deployed endlessly.. this year, 2008, is his 6th trip to the Middle East.. anytime we talk I ask him if he needs anything..he says..'naw mom, I am good to go" he seems to say that a lot... being self contained and all I guess I too, am good to go..

'get some'... himself's father is a retired marine.. its a marine statement.. 
but then it dawned on me how much of a dble entendre that is. and thekids nearly fell off th dock laughing at me when I mentioned it..

So I guess I am stuck with Maja..both of them.. the two legged mouthy one and the 33 foot sailing one... I would not have it any other way..  

My Maja is a LeComte Medalist 33 1962 vintage.. and my home

'bella and miss lucy le chat. 
aboard..


----------



## lsusailing

Wifes and girlfriends can come and go, only one mom, so named it after my mom. She tells her friends there is a boat named after her, they love it.


----------



## Mc51

I bought our boat on ebay. It was in SanFrancisco Bay had pink sail ties and was named "Sea Pony". After a 5000 mile trip to bring her back to the Gulf Coast we decided that the name was too cute. We stayed with the equine theme and named our 37 year old Cal25 "Warhorse". That is the name of the FOB that I was on for most of my year in Iraq, and we already had T-shirts with the name. We also replaced the pink sail ties.


----------



## sailingdog

If you wanted an equine name... why didn't you go with Seabiscuit.


----------



## Classic30

sailingdog said:


> If you wanted an equine name... why didn't you go with Seabiscuit.


SD, that's not even a good name for a horse - let alone someone's boat!! 

Ewww... *shudder*


----------



## sailingdog

In spite of the name, the horsie did quite well. 


Hartley18 said:


> SD, that's not even a good name for a horse - let alone someone's boat!!
> 
> Ewww... *shudder*


----------



## jrd22

Solo- Greatest climbing video of all time, makes it look too easy though for those that haven't been there (I haven't done it, my son did, I think it took 4-5 days). Thanks, I hadn't watched that in a while.

I don't like boat names that relate to money, or jobs. There is a boat (power) in the marina that I have to look at, hate it. " A Loan Again"

John


----------



## Classic30

jrd22 said:


> I don't like boat names that relate to money, or jobs. There is a boat (power) in the marina that I have to look at, hate it. " A Loan Again"
> 
> John


Agreed - though I thought "The Office" was a clever name for a 50-something-foot coastal cruiser.

... gives the phrase "I'll be in The Office all this week!" an entirely different meaning. 

Cameron


----------



## xort

sailingdog said:


> If you wanted an equine name... why didn't you go with Seabiscuit.


Lessee, the guy gives a perfect description of his specific reasons for naming it Warhorse, involving his tour in Iraq. Hey Mr Obvious, get a clue.


----------



## MikeAR

Mc51,
Two things, congratulations on your success in finding a boat (as a newb, I'm really envious, though our time will arrive). Second, thank you for your service. My stepson and his wife, both career NCOs, did 15-month tours there. I think I know what you gave up during your tour - God bless!
I think I am wanting a trailer sailor (central Arkansas - lots of lakes, etc.) and the name of the mouse from C.S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawntreader book came to mind, Reepicheep. I discounted Dawntreader because there appear to be a bunch of them and the one I know of has been tied to a marina so long that it has stuff growing on it.


----------



## ckgreenman

Hartley18 said:


> SD, that's not even a good name for a horse - let alone someone's boat!!
> 
> Ewww... *shudder*


Meh. It's better than "Air Biscuit"


----------



## Classic30

ckgreenman said:


> Meh. It's better than "Air Biscuit"


Surely not.. No-one could be that inane... could they?!?


----------



## harryrezz

Couldn't deal with reading all the preceeding posts so if this has already been said, please forgive me! SUPER-IMPORTANT in picking a boat name is "understandability"! Before making it official, try saying it over a VHF radio to someone else. If it is something cute such as many I read here, and it can't be quickly understood, forget it! Picture yourself in an emergency situation trying to make the Coast Guard understand who you are. A name like "Sarah Jane" is easy to understand. Then really think about the name you are considering. Is it easy to underswtand, too - or, if not, will you really have an extra 10 or 15 minutes to try to get some Coastie or other boater to understand what in the world you are saying as your boat sinks under you???? (Matters are even worse in foreign ports.)
BTW - we are La Nostra. Name came with the boat, but in Italian roughly means "ours", in an all-encompassing way .... which is certainly applicable as she is all I really own free and clear in this world!


----------



## Classic30

harryrezz said:


> Couldn't deal with reading all the preceeding posts so if this has already been said, please forgive me! SUPER-IMPORTANT in picking a boat name is "understandability"! Before making it official, try saying it over a VHF radio to someone else. If it is something cute such as many I read here, and it can't be quickly understood, forget it! Picture yourself in an emergency situation trying to make the Coast Guard understand who you are. A name like "Sarah Jane" is easy to understand. Then really think about the name you are considering. Is it easy to underswtand, too - or, if not, will you really have an extra 10 or 15 minutes to try to get some Coastie or other boater to understand what in the world you are saying as your boat sinks under you???? (Matters are even worse in foreign ports.)


That's a good point, Harry. 

It also helps if the name is female - the Coast Guard might come quicker if they think that somewhere out there there's a damsel in distress.

"Come quick! Irene's in trouble!!" - It worked for us!


----------



## alwheeler98

American Dream

I just asked my husband how he came up with the name. His response "I thought you came up with it."

We both think the name is great, but have no idea how, or who, came up with it.


----------



## mgmhead

Mine came with the boat. I'd decided on a name before I found the boat I wanted to purchase, my name didn't fit the boat but the existing name was perfect.

M.Moorehead
s/v Rhythm
Sabre 34 MkI


----------



## resdog

Myfirst boat - a J24, had only a fragment of the vinyl name left on the hull and that was ROJO. I renamed it RESERVOIR DOG because it was on a reservoir and it wasn't a dog.

The second boat was a C&C 30 and I don't think it was named. I had just finished reading George Orwell's 1984 and decided to call the boat BELLYFEEL, which meant a good feeling in your belly. That wasn't understood by more than a few people who had also read the book back in high school or college. Bad name but I enjoyed people's reaction to it.


----------



## painkiller

I was considering naming my second boat "Prolly Aground" after my experiences in the first one.


----------



## sailingdog

You have a boat???


painkiller said:


> I was considering naming my second boat "Prolly Aground" after my experiences in the first one.


----------



## painkiller

Yeah, I sure do! I couldn't figure out how to upload a picture, so here's an artist's rendering of my boat:

~~~~~~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


----------



## ckgreenman

Nice rendering. Is that you at the helm?


----------



## painkiller

No, I was down below fetching a beer at the time.


----------



## smackdaddy

Pain - you're an idiot for being out in that stuff. Look at the size of those waves! And it figures that you're drinking at the helm again. Jeez.


----------



## AllThumbs

I think SoFarSoGood would be a great boat name.


----------



## ckgreenman

I'm thinking "Second Obsession" might be my next boat name. My wife keeps saying I obsess too much. Hmm "Obsess Much?" might be a good one too. Of course then I could just go totally geeky "Bit Bucket"


----------



## mrwuffles

My little Friend is what i wanna name mine just got to get lettering. Previous name was climbing the wind thought it was stupid. Other boat is named Already There


----------



## Zoo

Wow, tough question, we named one boat after our puppy, cause he loved to sail, others came named. This last boat, we asked the exowner why the name, he said when he was in college, he was a bartender at night. His girlfriend then, now wife, loved to dance. When the bar closed, she would put a dime in machine, and always played the same song, so therefor they named the boat after their favorite song.
Now Zoo on the oehr hand, What would you call a boat with 5 kids, 2 dogs and a screaming husband, you got it. ZOO!!!!


----------



## RandyBC

When I bought my Catalina 42 last year I liked _Good Sheet_ (you have to say it with a latino accent),but discounted that one after a bit of reflection although I still like the name.
I knew an oral surgeon who had a boat named _Wisdom_ which I thought was clever. I'm a surgeon and thought the name _Knotty Buoy_ would apply in my case. I liked the triple entendre. I know the name is not terribly romantic but most people that know me think it fits, although they would say I'm more naughty than knotty or nauti.


----------



## SailingStNick

First power boat, many years ago, was Rock Steady, from the song by Sting. Very apropos I thought. Might go with the same on second boat.

Or, Emotional Rescue. (Rolling Stones)


----------



## smackdaddy

You can always mix and match user names here for some interesting combos. Look at the last couple of posts and you've got "Randy Claus". A couple of cookies and some egg nog and he's ready for action.

BTW - Saint, I'm afraid to ask, but what's the device in you're avatar? I get the feeling that's not quite enough chain for a Rockna at the dotted end.


----------



## ckgreenman

Sailing Daddy. Smack St. Nick.


----------



## tager

Septidons


----------



## smackdaddy

Tager, is that winch staring at us? Or am I just paranoid?


----------



## mrwuffles

no it gave me a dirty look also I swear


----------



## ckgreenman

Me too. It's freaking me out


----------



## painkiller

That's the money you could be saving with--Oh, nevermind.


----------



## ckgreenman

painkiller said:


> That's the money you could be saving with--Oh, nevermind.


"I always feel like....Sombody's watchin' me. And I get no privacy......"


----------



## WouldaShoulda

I was watching TVG the other day and Rich Pearloff (the only guy worth anything) was remarking about names for horses. 

"The name of the horse should sound regal preceeding '....is moving like a tremendous machine!!"' he said.

How true.

Slippery Nipple.

Aquaholic.

BOGUS!!

Aeolus.

Victory.

Noble and regal sounding.

What more can I say??


----------



## fiestaMojo

I named my Pearson 26 fiesta Mojo after an old Dizzy Gillespie tune. . .


----------



## donhaller

*Oh Well...*

I have been beating my brain out for weeks to think of a name for my C&C 25. The wife and I didn't like the existing name and decided it would be fun to do the entire renaming ceremony thing. We still could not come up with a name that we both liked Until this week when we started a long list of potential names, crossing out those that we decided against.

I am a big fan of Adventure/Fantasy movies and just by chance while visiting during the holidays my Mom mentioned how much I love the song Puff the Magic Dragon when I was a kid. It really hit me like a ton of bricks and we instantly decided on naming the boat the Honah Lee. It was perfect.

Well I found this thread today and started from the beginning reading each post. Then big as day, forum member Lancer28... has named his boat the same.  
Oh well I can't go back now. Mine was meant to be the Honah Lee.


----------



## tonybinTX

Ours was named after a Quito Rhymer (Cane Garden Bay, BVI) song. 

It's where caught the sailing bug while on a crewed sailing boat. We did a week on the boat as part of our wedding/honeymoon. The 'band' for our wedding was a bongo player and a steel pan player on the beach. We asked them to play that song for us and they improvised right there and sorted it out. 

Previous owner names for the boat were "Friendship III" and "Cloud IV"


----------



## MarthaT

Hope to name ours Tally-Ho


----------



## ronspiker

Holly's Tuition with the dingy being Books (my daughter decided not to go to school)
Just-a-Minute with the dingy being Just-a-Second


----------



## josrulz

We're trying to come up with a boat name right now. I think it's even more difficult than finding the boat--and that took 7 months! 

The boat's current name is "Spirit"--it's not bad, just somewhat common and not really "us". It's been the boat's name since it was first purchased by her original owner 25 years ago, which makes me want to keep it. But I still think we're ultimately going to change it (with proper denaming and renaming cermonies). Now, if we can only figure out what that name will be!


----------



## mrwuffles

you could name her "7 months"


----------



## eryka

OOOhh, this could be both fun and dangerous, if you are letting SailNetters have some input into what you'll be saying on the VHF for the next x years. Give us a hint of what *is* your style - romantic (Morning Mist? Wind Song?), racy (Rhumb Punch?), or bad pun like the stinkpotters (Fanta-sea? Wet Dream?)

None of the above are serious suggestions!

For the record, our previous boat was Bass-ackwards, the dinghy had the name "Front" painted on the transom (the joke only worked when we towed the dinghy while sailing).


----------



## josrulz

eryka said:


> OOOhh, this could be both fun and dangerous, if you are letting SailNetters have some input into what you'll be saying on the VHF for the next x years. Give us a hint of what *is* your style - romantic (Morning Mist? Wind Song?), racy (Rhumb Punch?), or bad pun like the stinkpotters (Fanta-sea? Wet Dream?)
> 
> None of the above are serious suggestions!
> 
> For the record, our previous boat was Bass-ackwards, the dinghy had the name "Front" painted on the transom (the joke only worked when we towed the dinghy while sailing).


Ha ha! You said it--dangerous!  We've been trying to come up with something that has meaning to both my wife and me, which makes it hard for others to guess. I'm not sure we have a "style". I can tell you that we want to name the _boat_, not us. We'd like the name to mean something to us, but we don't want to announce our professions, or proclaim how cool we are. Literature and music references rank high for us, sometimes films too.

I know we'll come up with something. Right now, we're playing around with Gaelic words, but we have to be careful--most of them would be pronounced incorrectly upon reading on the stern. We want to keep it simple for us, visitors and other sailors, and those on the other end of the VHF--so many "rules" we have!


----------



## SailingStNick

smackdaddy said:


> BTW - Saint, I'm afraid to ask, but what's the device in you're avatar? I get the feeling that's not quite enough chain for a Rockna at the dotted end.


The old ball and chain. It's what's keeping me from owning a boat at this time!

I think it was an available avatar when I joined this forum a long time ago.


----------



## xort

I saw some very bad names on some sailboats while shopping. Beware, we actually refused to look at a few because the name was so stupid.

Freedom, it's got 7 letters and we feel it fits what we will be looking for. Of course it will become our own ball and chain!


----------



## josrulz

xort said:


> I saw some very bad names on some sailboats while shopping. Beware, we actually refused to look at a few because the name was so stupid.
> 
> Freedom, it's got 7 letters and we feel it fits what we will be looking for. Of course it will become our own ball and chain!


Yeah, we saw a few of those really bad names too. Of course, I suppose it's all subjective. We did look at one boat that had a really bad name, but it more arrogant than stupid. Turned out to be our first clue about the attitude of the seller, who was a real piece of work, and we walked away from that one.


----------



## mrwuffles

Ya it seems you can tell a lot about a sailor from their boat's 
name.


----------



## KB7EWA

This is a great thread. Our boat is named "Teapot" because we decided to let the kids, 5 and 7, name it. After an endless string of Boaty, Saily, Sinky, etc. this was the first name that seemed decent and they both liked.


----------



## WinterRiver

KB, that's brave to let the kids name the boat. If I saw Teapot, I'd think there was a story behind the name. Unique, but not odd. Makes me think of one of those spinning teacup rides at amusement parks. (May you never experience a similar thrill in your Teapot!)

A year ago we told our kids, now 11 & 13, that they could name the dinghy. The catch? They have to agree on the name.

The dinghy remains unnamed.


----------



## 6string

We bought a Baba 40 this fall named "Mezzaluna". We aren't too fond of that name. I have liked the name "Fafaki-Tahi". The Mrs. dosen't like it because you have to explain its meaning to everyone. Fafaki-Tahi are descendents of a blind Polynesian navigator and know as "Feelers of the Sea". The Barefoot Navigator: Navigating ... - Google Book Search a boat that we hope to sail around the world in, I thought that was rather appropriate. I also sail a C scow that has the same name. We get a lot of good comments on the name when at regattas.

We have agreed on " Gypsy Soul" for the dink. Katies mom always told her that she has some Gypsy blood in her.

Jeff
Home Page


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## TSOJOURNER

I'm a doctor and work can be a little stressful. I have a teenage daughter so sometimes the house can be a little stressful and dramatic. When I get on the boat, everything is just fine. So, even though the whole "boat name has something to do with your profession but in a cute way" thing is a little cliched, I went with "My Medicine".


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## TSOJOURNER

I have to agree with most everyone in that most of my boats keep the name they come with...however I have learned that changing the name may be necessary, especially if it is something you do not want to repeat over and over to the Coast Guard should you ever need to talk to them on the radio...my two cents worth, always select a name for your boat that is realatively easy to understand and spell...
s/v Puff


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## SimonV

I came about my boats name after buying her. When I met people in the USA and told them of my plan they would regularly say "Good on you" so that became her name GOODONYA


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## MtnMike

I like making my own Sourmash Wiskey. So I'd like to name my next boat MOONSHINE.


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## sailingdog

MtnMike said:


> I like making my own Sourmash Wiskey. So I'd like to name my next boat MOONSHINE.


LOL... just don't let them revenuers catch ya...


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## T37Chef

*S/V Windgeist*



Stryker72 said:


> If you have a boat how did you come up with her name?


My wife, who's from Austria, named our boat "Windgeist" which translates to wind spirit.


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## TSOJOURNER

SD,

Kelpie? That nasty little Irish/Scottish critter that comes and breaks things?

I used to sail on a schooner named 'Kelpie'. Odd things happened. Winches blew up (literally), brand new sheets would part in the middle, you name it, when the Kelpies came out, the crew kept their eyes open and away from the booms, gaffs, etc.


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## Trimmer

What do you *Daydream* about?


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## 6string

I day dream about working on my boat. It's the middle of winter, its cold and I want to get out on the water. I'm dreaming about getting the work finished, getting out on my new boat to me and sailing her. I want to feel the wind and the sea and take my friends out with me to have a good time.


Jeff


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## KB7EWA

I suppose if you really wanted to stick it to the Coast Guard you could always name your boat "The Sailboat Formerly Known As


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## TSOJOURNER

boat name-boomerang
my dad sailed on it 25 years ago it went to southern part of WI and came back that is why it is now called Boomerang


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## johnshasteen

Back in the early 60's, my parents bought a black-hulled Hinckley Bermuda 40 and my mom named her Lola - a line from an old song, "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets,


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## TSOJOURNER

Stryker 72
Does the Stryker stand for Stryker Brigade?


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## Jaxxon

*Gale'ne*


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## catfish26

Named ours 'Magnolia' after the JJ Cale song,

"Magnolia, you sweet thing. You're drivin me mad. Gotta get back to you babe. You're the best I ever had. You're the best I ever had..."


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## seafrontiersman

The boat is currently un-named but we'll do a formal ceremony in June...Blue Coconut. I know it's a total chick name, my wife picked it and I know who runs the show around here!


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## saildork

As a boy, I would spend hours during the night gazing at the stars. When I married, my wife chose the Stargazer Lilly, her favorite flower, for her wedding bouquet. So the name 'Stargazer' for our boat was a no-brainer.


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## Sailnakked

I let my kids name it and after a few rounds of the Yoda, the Darth Vader, the Stawberry Shortcake or the My Little Pony... WE, because Captain Daddy still has 51% of the vote, decided on _"ORION"_ named after their favorite bedtime story, the Jimmy Buffett character the Jolly Mon's boat Orion "named after the stars that will guide thee..."


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## TSOJOURNER

*Salto*

Name came with the boat

Boat is a MG Spring 25 and (so i have been told) "Salto" means Jump in Spanish.

I have seen other Springs called "Spring Chicken" and "Spring Onion"


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## BBurg

I was looking for a name for my little "hot rod" beach cat (Nacra 5.8). I was actively involved with a lot of racing and one day on the way to a regatta in Sandy Point, Md a song came on the radio from an album by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. "Quiet Storm" was born.


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## Stiche

In 2006, an Iraqi sheikh in western Iraq (al-Anbar Province), Sheikh Abdul Sattar Bezia Fteikhan al-Rishawi, began a grass roots resistance militia to fight al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI). Sahawa al-Iraq (The Iraqi Awakening) led the anti-AQI resistance effort that turned the wave of support against AQI and towards the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq. 

Without Sheikh Sattar and the awakening movement, we would not be where we are today in al-Anbar province or all of Iraq.

Sheikh Sattar was assasinated by an AQI-planted bomb at his home in September, 2007. The movement continued under his brother, Ahmed, and had evolved into the majority political party in Anbar province.

I named my boat, "Sattar".

-Mike


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## smackdaddy

Cool story Stiche. Were you there?


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## Allanbc

Our current boat was named by the Admiral's sister when she had the boat. She used to race it and it is named _Hot Flash._


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## SailingAlien

Our boat didn't have a name when we purchased her. It came down to "Happy Ours" and "Weather Or Knot". The latter won out with a little tweaking to "Weather or Not"


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## WhatTheFoley

My Family had an old Tollycraft. When I was in highschool my parents got a divorce. The boat never had a name, so my dad gave the boat the name "TOTD" short for "Total Of The Decree"... 

My boat came with the name "StarGleam"... I renamed it (with all the smoke and mirrors) to "Priorities".


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## chef2sail

Wife and I got married on the beach in Hawaii in the shadow of the principal volcano which makes up Maui. *Haleakula* in Hawaiian means "House of the Rising Sun" needless we play the Animals a lot on the boat.

It makes us laugh to hear how many different pronumciations people use when they hail us on the VHF.

Dave


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## motovationcycles

*Boat Name*

The name of our boat ties in with my business. I own a motorcycle shop that specializes in Honda Goldwing Motorcycles. So our boat is named "Wind Wing"


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## dacap06

*Tranquility Base*

The PO's of my boat were OK with it's old name, Love Day, but I hated it and changed it at the first opportunity. I never understood what they were trying to say with it, so I renamed it _Tranquility Base_.

Tranquility Base was the name of the lunar area that Apollo 11 landed on in 1969 and refers to the entire Sea of Tranquility, which sounds like a nice place to sail. Sailing is certainly the thing that helps me maintain my tranquility. Besides all that, _Tranquility Base_ is the place that THIS eagle has landed.

DaCAP


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## bloodhunter

*Our boat fits her name*

We came up with Enchantress 'cause she has beautiful line and sails like magic


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## Seafire327

Klydo is a bit of a takeoff on a nickname my grandfather had for my uncle... His name was Kyle, and my grandfather, being quite a character himself, called him Clyde all the time... My uncle passed away in '07 so when I bought the boat last year, it struck me that it would be a cool tribute, and Klydo was born...


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## justified

"Justified" do I have to say anything more!

Peter


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## LWinters

Jargo was a horse my great grandfather rode into a flooded river to save a woman and two infant children. The mother wrote the story down to preserve it for her family and I couldn't imagin a better name for a vessel carrying me on a circumnavigation.

The whole story is here: Sailing for SOS = Helping Children Find Home


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## OsmundL

*Final Attempt*

On my pontoon back home, I walk past a boat that makes me smile very time. It is fairly old, small, an open motor craft, sort of half-well maintained, and bears every sign of taking some effort to get going after winter. You can envisage the owner sticking with it, perhaps persevering with his boating despite his wife fighting every cent spent on it. From the name I feel I know him though we've never met.

The boat is named "Final Try."


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## KyLeah49

I named my boat after my two children. Eventhough they are both grown, we are still very close as a family. My son's name is Kyle and my daughter is Leah. My boat is "KyLeah". I am asked often if it is a Hawiian name. I gives me the chance to brag about my kids.


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## KyLeah49

I had a friend from Belize suggest "Alegria de Los Mares". I like it but felt it was too long for the radio.


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## jnarmellino

I named my boat after my parents, God rest their souls - Giannina, for Giovanni and Nina. Not very imaginative, but it brings back good memories every time I see or hear the name.


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## MtHopeBay

*my first boat's name*

Eastwind was an ice breaker commissioned in time for WW2 during which it served in the north Atlantic and Greenland. The Coast Guard took her over after the war and she served until 1968. My Dad was aboard in '60 - '61 when she made an around the world tour including the Arctic and Antarctic. He made Master Chief during this tour and it was his favorite command.

He passed away 2 years ago so I pay homage to both the ship and the man.


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## PrinceBuster

sailaway21 said:


> It used to be quite common to name ships after the owner's female relatives.


Yep. I'm kind of a traditionalist, I guess. I'm sailing "Cecilia Ann", named after my mother.










Kevin
S/V Cecilia Ann - Catalina 320
Deale, MD


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## patrickstickler

This is on a placard in the galley. The boat's name reflects my longer term aspirations...

(anyone who is familiar with a MacGregor 26X will understand the last bit)


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## jkimberly

Many years ago, when my wife and I were first dating, we saw a TV show (can't recall the name of it) where the two main charactors were forever smooching and calling each other "Buddy Buns and Puppy Feet". My wifes roomate at the time though this was pretty similar to how we acted together and so immediately christened us "Buddy Buns" (me) and "Puppy Feet" (her).

Fast forward to about six years ago when I bought my first sailboat. In order to more fully "get her onboard" and buy into (literally!) the cost of having a sailboat, when it came to the naming ceremony I naturally choose "Puppy Feet" for the ships name. First sailboat was a 19' Wellcraft Starwind and it was 'cute' (her words, not mine).

Naturally when I sold the Starcraft and bough another "bigger" boat (a 1985 26' Seafarer), "Puppy Feet" became Puppy Feet 2"!

Oh yes, the dink is called (and named) buddy buns . . . 

Fair Winds

john


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## Stiche

smackdaddy said:


> Cool story Stiche. Were you there?


'03, '05, and '08. The '05/'08 difference was mindblowing. An almost 180 degree shift in support once folks stopped being stuck in the middle and took a side. Thankfully, they took our side!


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