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?

[Paul]

We were calling our new motor sailor "The big boat" but when the time to document, we needed a real name and I wanted it a simple name. After many attempts, I resorted to reading the dictionary. I found the word "Lusty" that had a meaning Adventurous, courageous and a lust for life.

So My big boat became "Lusty" Cruising in the Caribbean, we found in St Barts another "Lusty" but I do believe the name is still unique for a boat.

[Andrea]

Yes, I haven't heard or seen that boat name before. Very unique...for a boat.

[Alton J. Evans]

About 20+ years ago, when moving up to a 33' sloop, my wife and I took the kids sailing for the weekend, anchored in a quiet cove and talked about what to name our newly acquired vessel. After a good night sleep our 4 year old daughter at the time, says that she wants to name the boat after how it rocks her softly to sleep...........and so it stuck, Soft Rocker.

We're now on our 4th Soft Rocker and I can't imagine we'll ever change. As you already know, when you cruise to different ports and make friends you come to be known by your boat name.

[Richard]

Out of the mouth's of babes.....

[Andrea]

What a terrific picture under sail. Those are so hard to come by.

Wow! On the 4th boat using the same name...your daughter must be so proud!

[Ray]

Andrea,

Before getting my boat I considered both power and sail and what it would be like aboard each and did not like the idea of a loud engine making conversation near impossible but on a sailboat there would only be the sound of the wind in the sails and the splash of water on the hull. I have since purchased a sailboat and it's name comes from the shortest definition of sailing that I could think of. " Depending on the Wind " /)/)/)

Ray
"Depending on the Wind"

[Andrea]

Ray,

That is brilliant! I hope you have an engine too though - just in case. ;-)

[David Tatom]

My wife and I were sailing with some friends to the Bahamas and was listening to Queen on the CD player. Fat Bottom Girl happen to be playing. Our friend thought that would be a good name for a sailboat. A few years later, we bought our Pearson 35. We were trying to come up with a new name for the boat and our friend called us up and said I have the name for your boat, "Fat Bottom Girl". So it has been that ever since. It always ends up being a conversation piece.

[Andrea]

That is a good conversation item!

[Jean Depelteau]

My Westsail 32 is named Po Chang ...

Pai Chang ( one of the first Chinese Master of Zen) was given the name Po Chang by Tao-Chih (His Buddhist Master).
It meant: (he who bears the) Ocean (of wisdom in his ) Bosom.
Some of his writings include:
“A day without work is a day without food,”“Don’t cling, don’t seek,”
“When hungry, eat; when thirsty, drink; when tired, sleep.”
“What is the Buddha Nature?” Master Po-chang answered, “It is like seeking for an ox while you are yourself on it.”
‘ What is there that is extraordinary sitting alone on a mountain’

Po Chang was also the name I used (also given to me by Ray) for many years when playing Yi Jing with friends; we used to have great fun at parties at my place …
Neighbours, friends would just drop by to get a reading from Po Chang … (wine, food included). We would come up with incredible interpretations of the numbers with beautiful explanations in regards to the reading … biased to the situation but with laughters and joy form all involved: the reader, the read to, the friends …
Many years of me being Po Chang ( cork of a bottle in the water following the current, i.e. Let it Be, Go, Do) and a big plus: the Chang monasteries were the first to promote the ‘do it’… in replacement of the traditional Buddhist way of life which was to ask for food, clothes, etc).

Bosom meaning
adj : very close in friendship or affection; "a bosom buddy"; "an intimate friendship" [syn: bosom, intimate]n 1: (archaic) the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept; "his bosom was bursting with the secret"2: a person's breast or chest3: cloth that covers the chest or breasts4: a close affectionate and protective acceptance; "his willing embrace of new ideas"; "in the bosom of the family" [syn: embrace]5: the locus of feelings and intuitions; "in your heart you know it is true"; "her story would melt your bosom" [syn: heart]6: either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman [syn: breast, knocker, boob, tit, titty]v 1: hide in one's bosom: "She bosomed his letters"2: hug, usually with fondness; "Hug me, please"; "They embraced" [syn: embrace, hug, squeeze]

[Andrea]

Thank you for the beautiful insight - I was wondering what the story behind your name was when you joined. Now I know ;-)

I haven't heard of Yi Jing before. Sounds like a great time!

[Boyd Gatlin]

My wife and I had several candidates. Among them were 'Time Passages,' 'No Mondays,' 'Forever Saturday,' 'Scholar Ship,' all related to the fact that we are both retired professors. When we couldn't settle on anything, our daughter suggested naming the boat for her grandmother--my mother--Ida Lou. We all agreed it was perfect, and it turned out there's not another boat with that name documented with the US Coast Guard. The name of the boat when we bought it was 'Divine Wind,' which is a rough English translation of 'kamikazi.'