Although I get as sick as a dog on a boat, and don't have a boat of my own yet, have always been very interested in boat names and the story behind them.
Would love you hear about your boat name & story...
P.S. Even if you don't have a boat, what would you name it and why? From one future boat owner to another....
I built a 36" sailing model of the 26' Gaff sloop by Bill Harris, and when I was finishing it, worked into the wee hours (of my wife's birthday, which I forgot)to put on the final touches.Therefore, the name of my new boat is 'AUGUST XXX', carved VERY neatly across the transom!
Senior Member
Ah, another topic dear to my heart! My Vertue sloop is named "Patience" because "Patience is a Vertue!" I can't claim to be clever, though, as that was her name when I got her and changing a boat's name is bad luck. As for names, though, I think proper yachts ought to have dignified names. Look to the English, stuffy farts that they are, for the best boat names. "Courageous" "Dauntless" "Dreadnaught" "Surprize" "Indegafatible" and so on. Virtues like "Faith" "Hope" "Pride" are good too. Or, if you have a workboat, the traditional "Annie M." or "Mary B.," after a loved one, is proper, as are particular dates like "Fourth of July," etc. I've always liked the classic schooner names like "Rights of Man." I may be an old fuddy duddy, but nothing tags a boat's owner as a jackass faster than a name like "Nocturnal Emission" or "Pay Day" or other cutsie names.
[This message has been edited by Bob Cleek (edited 06-27-99).]
Another objectionable name here in the Puget Sound area is a J-30 named "Love Mussel." There are numerous boatnames that brand the owner of a boat as less than sensitive to the history, traditions and artistry of the sea, and the first is any name that begins with "C" or "Sea," such as "C-Spot," (a gynocologist) "C-Quester, (a lawyer,) or "C-Scape, (a painter.)
Our boat is named "Quarlo," after a local legend about a Chimakum Indian warrior by that name who befriended a dragon, and brought peace to his people.
Our other, smaller boat (24', 1935 racer) is named "Frolic," an apropriate name, considering her sailing abilities. We named our 7'7" Nutshell Pram "Gambol" because we like to frolic and gambol on the water. Our 10' Zodiac with the outboard is called "Noquiklos", named after the fire breathing dragon that Quarlo befriended. Have fun with your boatname, but avoid being too cute. Classic literature is a good source for boat names, as is local legend.
Obviously, you guys are a great thinking bunch - gifted with both imagination and originality!
It's scary how way too easy it is to get too "cutsie" with boat names. Really does take away from the overall dignity of the boat, its owners, the sport...
Love how you arrived at "Patience" - Vertue boat, etc. - brillant (!!). I very much like the idea of naming a boat after some virtue...I believe former President Bush's boat name is "Fidelity II" - I think that he must have been in synch with your (Bob)line of thought on the matter...
The personal touch is great too - something that makes a passerby ask: "Hmmm, I wonder what that means???" Adds a bit of mystery to it.
And yes, classic literature is a great place to go to. Has some substance to it - and it's great when you don't have to explain it to someone - but the other person knows the story behind the name...
A jillion thanks...
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 06-28-99).]
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 06-28-99).]
Senior Member
When I bought my present schooner, she was named 'Neries' - presumably meaning Neria, who was daughter to Nerius and sister to all the various Neriads. A sea goddes of sorts. But near my mooring is Mya, named after a native American sea goddess. Unfortunatly, mya is also part of the scientific name for a clam and neries is part of the name of a clam worm. It was all too intense and I'm not prejudiced about changing names. Decided to name her after the Irish sea queen Granuaile, or Grace O'Malley. Originally settled on Grace O'Malley as the easier name to say on the radio and easier for people to read, but had already cut the wood for trailboards before figuring that the name would not fit in 5' high letters, so went with Granuaile. When I told my mother of this, she betrayed her Boston upbringing by snorting, "Good. I always thought Grace O'Malley sounded like the name of someone's maid." I named the dink 'Tibbots' after Granuaile's son, who became one of Britain's great fighting admirals.
I named my dory 'Leeward' as a pun on my ex-wife's name and because when I was long-lining by hand off the Oregon coast heading 'Leeward' to leeward was getting me home.
Junior Member
"Chiabber" was my Folkboat's name when I got her, and I've left it as is. It may have a meaning in Danish, but I've never (yet) bothered to research it. Any translation would be appreciated.
I remember reading a magazine article years ago about boat names, of which one of the strangest was "Poodle With A Mohawk". The name was part of a larger graphic that went on at some length about what people said about poodles - "cute", "high-strung", "French" - and finished, as best I can recall, "He's back, he's bad and he's mad as hell {heck - if that gets censored}. He's 'Poodle With A Mohawk'. You'll never call him Fifi again."
One of my favourites is "Querencia", found and defined in Bill Buckley's book "Racing through Paradise".
Interesting topic.
When I was casting about for a name someone suggested trying out potential names by standing in the marina and calling out as loudly as possible the name under consideration. If you or someone else is not embarassed by the name it could remain under consideration.
Interesting that one of the most helpful persons on this forum has a boat called Patience and another person on another forum that gives great traditional, i.e. gaff rig, help also has a boat called Patience. Perhaps name selection also reflects upon the owner.
Anyway, I'm building Iain Oughtred's Farne Islander design. I wanted to retain some relationship to the boat design and UK origin as well as connect to my mid contintent location. The Farne Islands are the eastern most outcrop of the Great Whin Sill, an important geologic formation across England so I thougth perhaps "Prairie Whin'd". Rejected because, I'm told, puns are the worst form of humor and perhaps it might be bad luck to name a boat after a rock. It'd be worse to have a rock named for a boat, I'm told. In any case....
I have settled, for the moment on "Prairie Islander." I've not started carving nor ordered gold leaf (ya sure) so what do you all think?
--Norm
Senior Member
Hey Norm, care to share the address of that other forum? Thanks
Member
When I was building mine, I considered several names, but settled on Herriot, after the British Veterinarian, as that is my occupation as well.
I have no need for a dinghy, but may have to build one, so I can paint Trikki Woo on it's transom (if you don't know the stories, Trikki was a spoiled little peke belonging to a doting old lady)
Knight Errant
My last boat was named Fortitudine. Not only was that the motto of the Marine Corps during the 1812 Era, it means "with Fortitude". Fortitude, of course being something an owner of a bright finished 33 footer needs in great quantitiy. All my Jarhead friends thougth it was perfect, but, alas, I had to explain what latin was to the surfer who asked me how to get to "Fort Dude".
My next boat will be named "Raider", in honor of the Raider Battalions on Guadalcanal. I just need to get around to building it.
My boat under construction will be christened "Valhalla" after Odin's great hall where fallen warriors go to feast away the nights and battle during the days (I must be true to my Danish heritage).
Without question the tender will then have to be named "Valkyrie" after the warrior maiden-goddesses whose job was to escort those fallen warriors from the Earth up to Vahalla when they died in battle.
Senior Member
The current issue of Cruising World has a little article on boat naming, changing names and the hazards there of. My old man once bought a boat called "Absaroke" We all kind of went "huh"? (Seems it's Irocrois (sp?) Indian for crow... The family that owned it before us was named Crowe... They had one of those little brass plaques that read "Crow's Nest" over the door to the master stateroom... cute, huh?) We probably would have changed it etcept there was a beautiful, tooled leather nameplate mounted in the main saloon. Found out fifteen years later when we sold the boat that we'd been pronouncing it wrong the whole time! My current project will be named after the "smarter half"... (My way of "bribing" her into displacing her Miata from the garage for the duration of the construction process...)
Don't think that "Chiabber" is any Danish word, but I can ask one of my friends there to see is he has any idea what this means. Intriguing. What exactly is a folkboat?
Prairie Islander. That's a v. cool name -calm, sedate, but w/a carefree feel to it - and ties in well with your own history.
"Fort Dude." Being from Southern California - I can imagine how that would have come about. Didn't know that Fortitude was the Marine Corp's motto during the 1800s. When did they change it and why?
Was in Aarhus, Denmark a few years back. Great port town - v. pretty. The Danes really seem to have a great tradition of sailing and battles of course. Where is Odin's great hall? Copenhagen?
Was at the Reagan Presidential Library a while back and saw the Reagans'canoe. It was very Reaganesque - witty, funny, simple - just great - the canoe was named "Truluv."
It's true, what they say. The name of one's boat is as much an extension and reflection of the owner's personality, character and history as well as anything else.
....
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 06-29-99).]
Senior Member Old # 993
Named my boat CALGON. SWMBO questioned away from what as we are both old enough to remember the TV ads. The youngsters at the club just questioned why I named it after a soap.
Member
My boat was named "Searcher" by her original. It wasn't a bad name but I never liked it all that much. After the dockmaster at Friday Harbor, WA replied back to me over the VHF, "Did you say "Suture"?" I decided it was time to rename her.
I went through a very nice ritual for renaming that I obtained through 48 Degree North (the local sailing rag) and even managed to find a maiden (no small feat these days) to invoke the blessings and pour the bubbly.
I renamed her "Kestrel". It's short, easy to pronounce and has a certain poetic ring. Kestrel falcons (Sparrow Hawks) are fast, fearless and agile flyers. They will often hover silently over their prey before striking. Kestrel is also the name of company that built a carbon fiber road bike I bought after finishing residency. I've put some 5000 miles and a couple of 11,000 ft. passes on that bike and have enjoyed every minute of it.
Some other great boat names I've seen:
"Plan B"
"Never Again II" (A wooden boat perhaps?!)
"Sailbad The Sinner"
"Hot Ruddered Bum"
My wife and I used to wander down to WoodenBoat a couple times each summer, stand out on the end of their dock and gaze out over that very fine fleet of small boats. We would dream about having our own wooden boat and sailing there. Last summer it was a pleasure to sail into the WoodenBoat waterfront in our Biscayne Bay 14. We spent a couple of days camping there with our little boat "Vison", named in honor of all those boat dreams that came true. We named our dingy 20/20. Building a Haven 12 1/2 now and already thinking about boat #3. Lots more visions to go.
Junior Member
Bluesloop, I'd be happy to find out just what people have actually been calling me when they hail Chiabber. "Mom's Mink" would be disappointing, I could live with "Little Bird" or something of that ilk. I just hope it's not Danish for "Silly Son-of-a Gun" or worse.
Re: Folkboats, see WoodenBoat #146. I've babbled about my affection for the class in this Forum at too great length in the past to unthinkingly inflict my half-baked prose on the world again.
Serendipitously (Sp.?), Chiabber was built and launched in Aarhus with sail number D16 before being shipped to the Great Lakes as deck cargo.
Senior Member
Speaking of Serendipity. Sinbads's boat, the Serendip was the origin of the word serendipity - to come across something good unexpectedly. I wonder what Serendip meant originally (in Arabic I presume).
My boat's name is Patience. My father chose the name and I chose to keep it. As a child, I spent my summers with my dad on our Seasailer named Protea (named by the former owner after a flower that grew in his native South Africa). Protea was like a member of the family--wooden boats can get like that. When I was 13, some serious misfortunes befell the family and we had to sell Protea. Twenty-five years later, my dad found another Seasailer, a sister ship, and restored her. He hadn't forgotten how important Protea was to us, and he knew that just any old boat wouldn't be the same. It was like a homecoming for us. When he became unable to maintain her, the task fell on me. Well worth waiting for. Hence, the name Patience.
winslow asked me to reveal the name of "that other forum." Stand by. Here goes...
It the Compuserve sailing forum. Sorry internet rabble ya gotta have a subscription to Compuserve some call it CI$ for short. Internet rabble, did I say? None on this forum that I have seen nor in CI$ Sailing. I'd flounder without the help I get here and there. One can get on a CI$ forum via the Internet, unlimited time, for $9.95 a month if one wishes.
--Norm
My little workboat had an old Greymarine with a cracked block in it when it was given to me to get it out of the previous owner's yard. I found an old continental out of a Bantam dragline and used it to reblock the Grey. It had a neat little brass plate with a rooster on it, and it is a tough little boat, but there was another vessel in the area already useing Bantam. The boat's bow looks a lot like a Laffite skiff, so I cajunized it to Bantam Bon-Temp.
The name of my 13ft Penn Yan Swift is "Turtle Pond". I live beside a large pond named Turtle Pond. Back in the 50's there was a boat in the water always. THen it dissappeared for 45 years. I found it in a shead, in mint condition. Only needing paint and varnish. So i named it Turtle Pond. Its almost ready for the water. I'm only 13 too.
Corey
Senior Member
Way to go, Corey! If more kids your age got into boats, they'd end up like all us old guys. Seems skateboards are more the thing these days, but remember, as you get a bit older... there's nothing like a boat to attract the girls... and once you have the boat, it's a cheap date! (They bring lunch!) Anyhow, saw your post looking for a boat. Hope you have some luck. When I was your age and a bit older, I hung around the boat yards and tried to learn all I could. Eventually, somebody says, "Make yourself useful!" and gives you something to do. After a while, you end up knowing a whole bunch. Your little Penn Yann will be looking good soon and you will be on your way to being a wooden boat expert!
Fred B. - Just wanted to let you know, I asked my Danish friend, who's actually in the shipping business about "Chiabber" - and it remains an enigma. However, he assures me that he will do a bit of research on it and get back to me soon. Just wanted to keep you posted on it.
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It's funny how names can get easily muddled up often - guess the "Suture" incident made you search for another name, huh? (Couldn't resist...) Kestrel - fast, fearless, agile - that's a very witty one - and classic too.
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To: Bud & Wife - Great story - and good luck on your boat #3 et al. - It's great hearing these encouraging stories. Wish they had a little news segment on such stories - versus the latest live car pursuits, etc. Aghhhh...
______________
Scott, sounds like serendipity & destiny really knocked on your door - and patience actually did prove to be a virtue - good things come to those who wait, etc. I'm a bit on the impatient side - as much as I wish I could be otherwise - especially, when waiting in line. Guess, the thing about sailing is that it teaches you to develop these great traits - along the way. I think that when I eventually to have my own family & children, I'd like to teach them to sail. Of course, I'll have to learn first. I'm really glad that you and your family got a second chance with Patience. Good luck on taking care of "her?"/"him."
By the way: Why is it that boats are usually referred to as she instead of he? Hmmmm....
Corey, when do you think Turtle Pond will set sail? Although, I'm not old nor a man,I have to say that Bob's probably right - about the boat being a babe-magnet - comparable to cool cars here in L.A. - same scenario minus the smog and congestion. Anyway, have a great time on your boat!
I hope to have Turtle Pond in the water in a few weeks. All i have to do now is to varnish the top. If you want me to i'll send you a picture of my boat, through email.
hope you are having a great 4th
Corey
Cute/smart names are unimpressive to yachtspeople. Other yacht types are impressed by yachtspeoples' thoughfullness.
As a boy, our recuperated old Comet sloop Dad named FROLIC, on a lovely breezy summer day, FROLIC took water faster than we bailed, comming up on Tianna Bay mooring, we beached on Shinnecock Bay's North Shore, emptied and continued to the mooring .. Dad, Mom, 2 brothers, 2 sisters. No quetion, that's part of marine frolicking,(scary, then) . . but a great, simple name choice. . Later, Dad gave us Sea Ranger after the smaller one was recuperated by Uncle Joe to JosArk; to us little ones, an impressive, new, offshore capable 30 foot sea skiff. On a grey day 30 miles out with Sea Ranger doing it's thing, dad's neccessity to economize on a used engine gave me one of my first 'in a pinch' jobs (after dad, older brothers rigged a jury sail) to get us all back to and through Shinnecock inlet when the fuel pump operating arm retired on the well experienced Nordberg Knight .. right, 5 gal. on deck above engine, gravity feed (don't do that if you'r not real careful) . . Dad didn't name a Sea Ranger I or II. The first Sea Ranger became uncle Joe's lovely JosArk after uncle Joe's well done cabin addition to our former open 24 foot Jersey skiff, Uncle Joe had to completely recuperate. I guess it's a guy thing, the first Sea Ranger didn't have the name on it, maybe Dad wasn;t telling us another would come he'd be that proud of to put Sea Ranger on the transom. With the first one, the on-oing jibe was "What's her name, George?" to which dad quickly replied Sea Ranger. The conversation never got to "why don't you put it on her tail, then?" I remember how dad strudggled so during the beautiful Hampton Bays spring weekends to caulk her for another season. Then there was the cylinder head and the dual ignition for the Gray lugger, endless work for dad. Her name didn't make it to the transom.
My first after we'd married with two boys lesss than 5, was a (well) used Concordia Beetle Cat the former owner I never met, named Vasco Da Gama. I just think about that name. Awesome. Especially about 30 years later when PBS ran a story about the remarkable navigator. . . Our family's first big boat was 30 foot yawl Priness We No Nah, spelled phonetically; you know, about the indian maiden that jumped off Lake Peppin's Point No Point trather than submit to an arranged marriage to a brave she didn't love. (Was probably a tiff about native American after shave she didn't like, that never made it into the oral history.) There are several Winonas in America, including in Mel Torme's lovely Route 66 song. Ours was bright red hull, blue antifouling. You understand the term Mediterranean Blue with a red hull . . and, oh did I tell you about the day the Princess touched bottom in Byblos harbor, Lebanaon (world's oldest)? . . another boat names tale.
This shoud be an on-going Wooden Boat column. Everyman is Thomas Lipton. A baseline of yacht.
I look foreward to learn your perceptive choice.
Cheers, iron Mike
Corey,
Would love a picture of your boat!
Yes, had a great Fourth - just drove out to the beach and watched the fireworks. I noticed last night, however, that the waves out here are pretty calm - compared to what I remember of the waves on the East Coast - the Atlantic seems a bit harsher at night, especially. Don't know maybe it was just my imagination because the waters out there were not as familiar to me. I wonder which is the more difficult to sail and maneuver in. The funny thing is that no matter which coast I'm on, having grown up on the West Coast, I always have the perception that I'm facing west each time I look out towards the ocean. It's strange.
Mike,
Thoroughly enjoyed your stories! Thank you for sharing them. It's like reading one of Arthur Ramsome's tales.
In fact, the most interesting aspect of hearing about people's boat names and their stories - is the interweaving of both personal and other historical tidbits that you learn along the way. It's an education in and of itself - a great way to learn about history, geography, not to mention boats and sailing.
The other interesing aspect of hearing about people's boat names and their stories - is learning about the people, their character and sense of values. I am impressed by the genuine and deep sense of values - such as workmanship, patience, and a no-nonesense kind of basic outlook on life - that I find common among people who sail/yacht. Don't know if it's something that you develop along the way as you go about learning how to sail, etc. as Bob alluded to, but I believe that it is.
In today's world of instant gratification and greater access, there are fewer opportunities to develop such traits as patience, etc. Therefore, many of us grow up without as strong a reserve of such qualities. We lose sight of the long-term benefits of such traits. One thing I found among wooden boat enthusiasts - they have a better reserve of many of these wonderful traits - which makes them better strategists and tacticians in business as well as in life in general. They know how to tack from one situation to another - knowing that it's not always the shortest or most direct route that best leads you to your goals/ destination.
I guess these are the things that I have learned and observed so far about sailing, people, boats and their names.
I've been contemplating on writing a little book about this topic, which interests me so much. One of the reasons why I posed this topic, was to find out if there really was much to this topic - beyond my own interests - to hear from real boat owners - their thoughts, experiences, etc. There's so much more than I expected. I wonder how all of you will feel or would have any objections to my including some of your wonderful stories in this "book." Please let me know if you do. I'll keep everyone informed if it does materialize - perhaps it would be possible to get pictures or sketches of your boats, etc. It's still very much in its infant stages - but I will keep everyone posted.
That's all for now. Hope you all had a pleasant Fourth of July.
bluesloop.com/(Mary-Alexandra)
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 07-05-99).]
I named my 15' skiff Kelly, which was the name I picked for my 3rd child if he had been a girl.
I feel that a boat's name should reflect the owner and his/her feelings toward their boat, so I don't have a problem with some party boat names like FUN TIME or the like. There is such a thing as too cute however. I also think that the name should not be so obscure that the average person can't pronounce it and requires a lecture to grasp its significance. Boating, boat building and yachting are activities that are to be enjoyed, not used to elevate society and civilization to higher levels, so I see nothing wrong with a name that can have severl meanings (thus a pun).
Member
My boat's name is "Shirley's Furniture"... she wanted new furniture- I wanded a new boat. I made what I thought was a reasonable compromise.
Junior Member
Reminds me of the woman who bought a new Ferrari and said it saved her marriage. She told her husband she'd leave him if she couldn't have it.
Hey, bluesloop, just a guess, but is your email address taken from the book "First You Have To Row a Little Boat"?
Very Good!!! Yes!!
Told myself that whoever first guessed it right would certainly be a very special individual (brilliant, good taste, etc.).
Congratulations! You're the first one to guess it correctly.
I bought the book on Amazon.com after I saw the cover - then, when I actually read the book, fell in love with the little story.
And there you have my little boat name & story.
______________________
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 07-10-99).]
Bluesloop
1. you have my permission use anything i sent with my strong encouragement . . mid America's newneness to boats unfortunately smoetimes shows in names . .
2. Luckas family central Europe spelling with k as opposed to Lucas, was Lady Luck in four edtions; classy Nass family had 22 foot Chris*Craft Sportsman SNASSY
3. so, yours will be bluesloop. eh ? (lowercase, you could put several dots, maybe only two dots would really send the mind turning, but maybe too focused, too cute)
Sincerely iron Mike
Retro Member #1235
First You Have to Row a Little Boat is a really wonderful book. Run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore (yes Amazon too) to get a copy if you don't have one now. Sheryl, my wife, gave it to me some years ago. I've given copies to a number of friends who were undergoing "transition". I can't speak highly enough to the book, the author, or the philosophy he esposes (sp?).
Our boat's name is Defiance. She came by the name by number, so to speak. Several years ago we started a one-design fleet on our lake and, by luck of the draw, we were fleet 66. With such a cosmic opportunity as that, a lot of names (Amarillo, San Bernadino too) came to mine. Anyway, Fort Defiance was on the original route of the mother road (its claim to fame is that F Troop was filmed there). We have another named Twin Arrows (it was a wide spot on the road with a filling station), the owner has a home heating oil business called Arrow Fuel. I've tried to convince one of the other "hot" boats to name their's Two Guns (yes, another town on the road) but so far they've demured.
A friend in Wales just purchased a sailboat named "Laloessa". Neither he nor the former owners have been able to track down the derivation. Any ideas?
--Norm
The same author also wrote a book called "Blue Sloop At Dawn." Highly recommended, as a good sea story brimming with romance (in the classical sense)
Yes,
I've been searching all over for that book. The book seems as elusive as the boat itself. I've asked a friend of mine to look into it for me, but if you know of a place where I can find a copy, would very much appreciate it.
As initially noted, don't have a boat yet, and depending on the type of boat that I'll eventually get, I'll have to see if the name fits. For now, I'm just sort of basking in my little discovery of the name and story. Like it very much because of its simplicity, beauty, anonymity,and in a certain ironic way, the uniqueness brought on by its anonymity. (It's funny and cool how the author never refers to his little boat by any other name. It's like naming a dog, "Dog.")
Anyway, spent a bit too much time collecting degrees - only got out of school a few years ago and am now trying to get my own business off the ground. So, it may be a little while before I finally get the boat that I want. That'll be my next little "project."
Mike, thanks for your note & info. Didn't think that I'd come across such great stories!
Norm, will look into that boat name - "Laloessa." Do you think it could be someone's name?
Fred, still haven't forgotten about "Chiabber" - my friend's still looking into it. It's not something very obvious, which is good - it makes it that much more intriguing.
It's like going on a little treasure hunt - hope to get you some answers soon!
By the way, love the spirit and sense of exhuberance of the name "Defiance" -
bluesloop.com/Mary-Alexandra
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 07-12-99).]
Retro Member #1235
Trust me, it (Defiance) fits. She's tossed me out, tossed a friend out, and it kind of describes our relationship with the town and state too! Looks great in the fourth-of-July parade with the Herreshoff saluting cannon peering defiantly over the fore deck.
Ed
PS: I forgot, I taught sailing on the lake a few years ago (until I ran out of time) and the book (FYHTRALB) was one of our two texts.
Like most of you, I really enjoyed FYHTRALB too. Read it at least five times. Untill I read that book, I thought that most of my time spent sailing, especially as a kid, was just "wasted" time. Since reading the book, I have convinced myself (deceived myself?) that all of that time was well spent and that any small bit of wisdom and maturity that I now have is a result of the subliminal lessons taken on the water. When I lack wisdom and maturity (fairly often), I blame it on not spending enough time sailing.
Ed, I love the name Defiance, but I'm especially interested in the F Troop thing. Rarely a day goes by (especially in baseball season) that the theme song from the show doesn't go through my head. Whenever I'm watching baseball and the organist plays the bugle charge, I can't help myself from humming the F Troop theme, which, if you remember, started with the bugle charge. "Where Indian fights are colorful sights and nobody takes a lickin'; where Redskin and Paleface both turn chicken." They surely don't wrtite 'em like that any more.
Retro Member #1235
I've got to tell you that I don't think that I ever watched F Troop, I certainly don't remember the theme song, but, and this is the best part, the Mass State Police are broken down into troops, and they go by letter. Yes, there is an F Troop.
Oh, and there is not a whole lot to Ft Defiance, I wouldn't go to far out of your way to visit it. However, should you find your way to the NM/Arizona area there are two things worth taking in. The Tinkertown Museum, east of Albuquerque is pretty neat. It even features a wooden sailboat that was sailed around the world by the museum owner's brother (or similar relation). His motto is great: "I built all of this while you were watching TV." (I guess I won't tell you what I was doing rather than watching F-troop.).
The other item is Canyon de Chelly. It's in NE Arizona and is definately worth the trip. Stay at the "hotel" and have the blue corn pancakes for breakfast. I first read about it in two different books. Can't remember the authors, but the title of a book written by one of them was High tide in Tucson. Good book.
[This message has been edited by Ed Harrow (edited 07-12-99).]
Senior Member
Our Penn Yan Commander is named "Please dont sink". It was named this after my husband launched it without the drain plug and then took off with the truck and trailer, leaving me with the boat. Debbie
My 20' restored Simmons Sea skiff is named "...the Best Revenge" after the saying " Li ving well is the best revenge'
Our dinghy is simply; "messing around...
After quintuple by-pass heart surgery & surviving Lung cancer the name is rather ironic.
[This message has been edited by Harold Swweeny (edited 07-22-99).]
Senior Member
I see my wife posted about launching her with the drain plug in my pocket. The worse part of that was yelling at her for beaching the boat alongside the launch not realizing she was trying to keep it from sinking. All the rest of our boats are named with the theme of Camalot in mine, eg. Lady of the Lake, Lancelot, and Merlin. With 12 boats now we are running out of the legend. Charlie
Love it! "Please don't sink..." and it didn't. It's just great and sounds like a very memorable experience for the both of you. The Camelot theme is really golden! Sounds like you guys have a fleet there - how do you manage taking care of all of these? Sounds like you and your wife make a pretty good team. It's a tricky thing to find the right sailing partner - from what I am told. At times, there's more danger of the relationships than the boats sinking. But, once you do find the right sailing partner, it's really one of the best things in the world.
"Messin'about..." Loved the Wind in the Willows book and did, on occasion, read bits and pieces of the newsletter - Messin' About in Boats - as well as the little book of the same title. It has a great beat/funky sound to it - a bit mischievous and adventuresome!
It's just the most interesting thing - hearing about people's boat names and stories - there's just so much to it...sort of like a rich textured collage/montage of personal, historical, literary, and of course, boat/sailing memorabilia, etc.
bluesloop.com/M.A.
[This message has been edited by bluesloop.com (edited 07-16-99).]
Heard a funny story about a boat's name once. Someone we knew had a racing yacht and desperately tried hard to please all the toffy noses at a particular yacht club in everything he did, but didn't matter what he did - never quite fit in - they always managed to find something wrong with his boat - it was too heavy etc etc. Anyway, he was at his wits end one day when he had tried all winter to get his boat ready for the sailing season - the toffy noses - for some reason unknown to us tried every trick in the book to try to keep him out of the race. Kept finding things wrong with his boat. Anyway, on the day of the race, he was ready to launch it into the water and was launching away when one of the old fuddy duddies piped up - "she hasn't got a name - can't race her without a name - it's not allowed." They thought they'd finally got him. In his rush to get her ready for the race he had forgotten to name her. He only had a few seconds left, as she entered the water on the slipway, so he grabbed a paintbrush and paint can and quickly painted "UPSTART" on the side of her hull - that shut them up! He sailed all through that season and many to come with the name painted on her side - paint dripping everywhere - but the best part is - she won all the races and stuck it to the old fuddy duddies at the yacht club. That's what I call poetic justice.
Good for them!
__________
Just heard not too long ago about J.F.K. Jr. Can't believe it. I hope that they're alright, although it doesn't seem likely. I hope that the family is doing alright as well - they've been through a lot.
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Our 50' Schooner is named "Child of the Mist", a traditional term used to describe a Scottish highlander.
She was built in Nova Scotia in 1925, and was pressed into service as a rum-runner during the US prohibition. A common tactic was to sail in fog and mist to avoid detection...kinda makes the name appropriate.
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[This message has been edited by Scott D. Rosen (edited 07-19-99).]
I am still looking for the perfect name to go on my "perfect boat" but I have found neither .At this time I have a 21'Thompson and am restoring a 26' Lyman offshore, of which I have not named either but I lovingly refer to them as "My last boat ll and My last boat 3 to my wife. (She seems to think I'll have a " My Last boat 20" and I'm inclined to believe her although I plan on keeping the Lyman too). Although I have gotten some ideas though from this thread as to where to look to look to find a name.
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