Jill Bobrow
11/01/2007
"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." So
says Shakespeare’s Juliet to Romeo when she tries to make the point that she is
in love with him, the person, not the Montague name.
What about boat names? People can be very picky about them,
which makes choosing one no small deal. Builders often give new builds a code
name right up until the launch. Contributing editor Bill Ando has tracked the
build process of a 269-foot oceAnco in each of our issues since last winter. In
the monthly "On the Horizon" column, we followed the yard’s lead and have been
calling this boat "Y702." Next month you’ll read that Y702 has morphed into
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Photograph by Neil Rabinowitz. (Click image to enlarge)
The Lürssen shipyard has a number of code names for its boats.
The recently launched project "Falcon" is now named Kismet. According to
contributing editor Justin Ratcliffe, who wrote about this new, 223-foot Espen
Øino/Reymond Langton-designed yacht, the name means "destiny" in Turkish,
Arabic, Urdu and Hindi.
Boat names run the gamut from nouns, proper nouns and verbs, to
adjectives and epithets. Take Marco Polo, the very appropriate moniker
for the 148-foot, Ron Holland-designed long-range explorer built by MCC in
China. The vessel’s namesake was a Venetian trader and explorer who, in the
mid-thirteenth century, was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road
to China and to visit with Kublai Khan, leader of the Mongol Empire.
More often than not, boats (which we always address as "she")
are named after a woman, be it a girlfriend, a daughter or a wife: Lady
Linda, Kelly Sea, Miss Michelle, Princess K. Ann Avery wrote about the
Firestone Family and Friends’ new 171-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht,
Tamsen, which is named after the Firestone family matriarch. The name
transcends the boat in more ways than one in that Tamsen is also the moniker for
a new designer label whose prints are inspired by the original art work of the
elder Firestone. The boat is replete with fabrics also made from his artwork,
but that are unique to the yacht. Some people believe it’s bad luck to change
the name of a boat. Tradition aside, it may get sticky honeymooning with your
new bride Victoria aboard a boat called Selma W.
In Tom Zydler’s photojournalistic story of cruising to
Antarctica with the owner of Whale Song, we get the gist that the
multiyear journey for this owner is all about using his boat to explore nature.
At the Codecasa Shipyard in Viareggio, Italy, the first in the
company’s 41S series was named Bellissima C. Adjectives work well in
Italian, as do verbs. It makes sense to have a beautiful boat called
Bellissima or even Andiamo. Somehow the spoken English translation
doesn’t work as well: "Beautiful, Beautiful," "Come in, please." Anyhow, that’s
now a moot point. Bellissima C since has been purchased and renamed
Family Day, the meaning of which is apparent.
Classic sailboats often bear world-class names. Last summer in
Palma at the Superyacht Cup regatta, there were boats whose names evoke another
era: Ranger, Velsheda. I can think of dozens of sailing yachts with names
that ring timeless.
Some names are chosen to be clever. Such is the case with
After Eight, the name of the 151-foot Northern Marine tri-deck reviewed
in this issue by contributing editor Mark Masciarotte. I called Mark to ask him
what the name signifies. The thin square dinner mints in black paper that I used
to love as a child? Or does it refer to the time that the owner likes to have
breakfast? Neither. The yacht’s owner had eight children, so his new yacht is
his treat to himself after raising such a large brood.
Indulge me a little longer because I am getting to our cover
story on Mr. Terrible, also written by Mark Masciarotte. Who would name a
boat Mr. Terrible? It is certainly not the name of a loved one, or a
historical figure or even a Greek god. So, what does it signify? I traveled with
Mark to the Delta shipyard in Seattle to join Jack and Michelle Jones and
designer Adriel Rollins on a detailed tour of the 154-footer, where I discovered
the name relates to the owner, but belies the boat. Derived from the owner’s company, Terrible Herbst, it refers to the company’s logo of a mustachioed
bandit brandishing a gas pump nozzle instead of a gun—a cartoon character
insignia that labels the company’s service stations, casinos and motorsports
team products in the Western United States. Go figure!
The name game is fascinating. This mega volume of ShowBoats International is our Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show issue, so
take some time and check out our preview of the largest boat show in the world,
where miles of boats will be stern-to the dock for viewing. Before you hop
aboard, look at the transom and check out the name. If you buy that boat, the
most important decision will be all yours.