How did you name your boat?

[Andrea]

How did you name your boat? I am always curious about how people name their boat and if there is a story behind it. After seeing all of the names on this site, I am looking forward to hearing the stories...So, If you have a boat how did you come up with the name?

[Dave]

What a great Idea for a thread! My first boat was/is a Flying Junior. I named it R-MATE after my father. He was an artist, and absolutely loved all things pirate. He signed all of his artwork, "R-MATE".

[Andrea]

That's great!

[Mark (Voodoo Acrobat)]

Yes, it's an excellent idea for a thread! I've love to hear more about the names of other boats too.

I actually gave a lot of thought to the naming of my vessel and the right one just fell into my lap. According to nautical tradition, the luckiest names have seven letters and a letter that repeats itself. I'm honestly not the superstitious kind, but I enjoy the traditions and history of sailing and wanted to follow them as best as I could.

A very good online friend had the user profile name "Nautila". She made it up as a feminization of the name of the sea god "Nautico". I had always liked the name very much and asked her if I could use it for my next boat. She thought I was kidding. The S/V Nautila was originally named "Bobber Ann" (previous owner fished and liked the Beach Boys), and I went through a detailed de-naming and re-naming ceremony to change her name so Posiden would strike the old name from his rolls and recognize her new name. You know how picky those sea gods can be! (I bribed Posiden with copious amounts of rum too.)

I have a smaller daysailer, a 1966 McVay Falcon 16', that I call "The Puppy G". It's named for my dog, Maxine, who I sometimes call my "Puppy Girl".

Fair Winds

Mark

[Andrea]

I love the insight. I didn't know that about the tradition. Thank you for sharing. I think we just got lucky when we named our boat..7 letters and I actually have 2 letters that repeat themselves. It that still good luck?

[Mark (Voodoo Acrobat)]

Here is a link to several de-naming/re-naming ceremonies and traditions, including sailing backwards! (I used the Vigor Inter-Denominational Ceremony myself.) I get such a kick out of traditions and superstitions like this. Do they work? Maybe. Maybe not. Are they fun? Yes, always!

Click on: http://www.bitwrangler.com/wt/renaming.shtml
Fair winds,

Mark

[Andrea]

Mark,

Ha ha!!!! I needed a good laugh! I am just happy that I do not have a used power boat...run aground 3 times ... yikes!

Take care,
Andrea

[Pete]

OK, since I hate to see a perfectly good thread left dangling, I'll weigh in.

I can't claim any flash of brilliance that led to a wickedly clever boat, but there's a story of sorts behind "EmmieLou" just the same. At its most basic, it's simply a contraction of my daughter's full name, Emily Louise. Our previous boat was named "EmmyLou," but when we got our current one, Emily insisted on the revised (and, according to her, preferred) spelling. It also didn't hurt that I'm a HUGE fan of the singer Emmylou Harris, so the name was a tiny tip of the hat in that direction.

Of course, all this was necessary because my wife vetoed my original suggestion: "Coral Reefer." She said that was like an giant invitation for the Coast Guard to board and inspect the boat.

There you have it. And thanks for asking.

Pete
s/v EmmieLou (Oday 322)
Little Silver, NJ

[Andrea]

Your wife sounds like a very smart woman :-)

[Aria]

I have a video slideshow on my page with the song I took my boat's name from.

John

[Nancy]

My husband and I met on a stretch of beach on Tybee Island Georgia. We love this place as it has a very hometown feel to it. Not too much of a tourist trap, at least not yet. It has such a laid back atmosphere to it. There's a local that sings a song called living on Tybee Time. Basically living the laid back, no hustle, easy lifestyle. When my husband and I are aboard our boat thats what we are on, Tybee Time. No hurries, no worries, no stress.
s/v Tybee Time
Nancy

[Andrea]

That is so romantic!

[Richard]

Way back in the late 70s I stumbled across the Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. One of the entries was Nancy Dawson, Nancy Dawson was the tune to which the rum ration was piped in the British Navy for over 200 years. I said, then and there, that if I ever owned a boat worthy of having a name that was what it was going to be. Attached is a picture of Nancy Dawson