Dermot Cole | Opinion: Alaska boat names can sink your spirit or keep you afloat
I don't know that anything has been done comparable to the 10-year research project by
He divided them into 25 categories, ranging from birds and children, to alcohol and geography. The dullest name he found was INVESTMENT BROKER, which would win top honors had he included a "big ego" section.
In his "Reflections on Nautical Onomastics," published in 1979 in "Names: A
In
I could go on, but there's also a fine
Last Sunday, after venturing onto the waters at the
I've thought for years about the tradition of naming boats, when for most other forms of transport, people seem content to use whatever puffed-up moniker manufacturers stamp on the side. Lots of cars have nicknames, but they are usually not applied in big letters.
Personalized license plates are an exception. A
Serenity, which the
Working boats are usually christened with names drawn from nautical tradition or landmarks, such as Bounty, Indefatigable,
The owners are serious and would sooner put Titantic II on the stern than something like the internet favorite, Boaty McBoatface.
More recreational boats are named after women than men, which probably has something to do with the tradition of identifying a vessel as a "she" instead of an "it."
Plus, naming a boat after a wife or girlfriend can help with investment decisions, especially if you mention the name of the boat respectfully before revealing that her boat would be much better with a new
Among those based on inside jokes, there is the 40-foot Brief at Ease, once owned by the late Rep.
In
When choosing a name, it is wise to remember you will be identified by that name. If you have to make a radio call to the
There are many boats with inoffensive names reflecting sun, wind and sky, though not as pretentious as those on the land yachts and giant trailers parked by the dozen in
Boat owners who prefer puns and cute names end up with Knot Afraid, Knot Again,
These are great the first few hundred times you hear them. But as the owners of hair salons and coffee shops have shown, there are endless ways to rearrange letters in the quest to be clever.
Changing the name of a vessel to shed unwelcome connections is not unheard of. You may recall the Exxon oil tanker named after
There are superstitions that it is best not to change the name of a boat unless there is a good reason, which is why many people resist.
I saw what I think is a perfect name on one of the sailboats tied up in
But that's OK. It's not my boat.
Columnist
The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by
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