What's in a name ?

[Galway Bay]

I have been meaning to do this for a while - what did you call your boat and why ??

Some names seem selfevident like parhaps "peace" but what is the whole story ? Many choose Poiynesian names but to me this is perhaps better suited to sailors who sail these seas or at least can realistically hope to do so.

My own boat is at this time nameless. So this could help me make up my mind. Having replaced 50% of the entire boat in a reconstruction I feel I am entitled to a new name as well !

In my younger days I was "Circus" and a beginner in circus is called a "First of May" because this is by tradition when the circus starts to tour. So when I became a beginner in sailing I used this name for my boat. You can imagine the mayhem on the VHF when my friends tried to call me - yeah yeah "Mayday Mayday where are you?" So that name is history.

I am an Irish speaker and am tempted by some lovely Irish language names eg. "Gabhlan Gaoithe" [ who goes with the wind ] which is the Irish name for the Swift [bird] who circles the globe without landing - even mating in flight.  

Another line of thought leads me into musical circles. My home [ Clare ] is renowned for it's traditional music and I am a small part of this. I made my living as a tradesman and "The Mason's Apron" is a tune that crossed the ocean to Newfoundland and returned and is a great favourite on both sides of the Atlantic.

But this is not just about me. So go on tell us - what did you call yours and why ???

[andy solywoda]

As a joke I put "Kaimu Bay" as the home port for my old boat.  The joke was that Kaimu Bay, once a beautiful black sand beach, had been buried under a huge lava flow and was not only no longer a beach, but was now far from the ocean.  I liked the name, which means quiet place by the sea, so when I got my current boat, then a project, I named it Kaimu.  The previous builder intended to name it Dogface.  It's a good idea to anticipate how the boat name sounds when you use it as your radio call sign.  I couldn't imagine answering "This is Dogface".

[paul anderson]

Hey G.B. yes i too have been pondering names and it seems to change as my tiny mind changes.

The name I am considering is Mutiwakka.

Muti from my African roots meaning medicine/witchcraft.Growing up as kids all kinds of medicine was referred to as muti. The word has it's roots in Zulu and other Nguni languages.

Wakka, well this is pretty self explanatory.

The building of this boat has been good medicine for me.So so far this will be the name for my cat.

[Alan Gallaugher]

My original idea for the tiki that I never bought was Latika, taken from the film Slumdog Millionaire. Latika was the dream girl in the film like the tiki was my dream boat.
I never got a tiki so couldn't use that name and called my boat Kierfin which being Irish sounds suitable Gaelic and is make up from the names of my two nephews Kieran and Fin.
A friends's boat is called Glauch na mara, call of the sea.
Whilst another friend has called his boat Tempremental, after his wife, she doesn't know this!

[Galway Bay]

 Look for the cat named "Dog"!   And  "A Boy Named Sue" [ from Johnny Cash ] !!

This is a classic. I love it. Almost wish I had thought of it first. Signwriting is slow and difficult.  There is a lot to be said for a short name !!

 

[Thomas Nielsen]

Tsunamichaser - I'd rather follow one than be in front of one.  They do bounce back though so you may become the hunted!  I was awestruck by the tsunami that struck Phuket, Thailand.  There use to be a video on the web of one of Siam Sailing's Wharrams that was lying off of Phuket when the waves rolled through.  I think it was a Tiki 30.  Their reports said it survived with only minor rigging damage.  At the time I clipped the footage of it being struck broadside by the wall of water and then climbing over it - at most a few seconds and watched it in slow motion.  Most boats would never have survived such forces.

[Thomas Nielsen]

>>>Paul - with a little bit of static on the radio this might sound like Muddy Waters,  A fine musician and a place only a boat like a Wharram can sail!

paul anderson said:

Hey G.B. yes i too have been pondering names and it seems to change as my tiny mind changes.

The name I am considering is Mutiwakka.

Muti from my African roots meaning medicine/witchcraft.Growing up as kids all kinds of medicine was referred to as muti. The word has it's roots in Zulu and other Nguni languages.

Wakka, well this is pretty self explanatory.

The building of this boat has been good medicine for me.So so far this will be the name for my cat.

[paul anderson]

Thomas I always wondered what the inspiration for your name was, the incident with the wharram going over the wave would be good to see.

[Andrés]

You can see it in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGkeMvxotzI&playnext=1&list...

[paul anderson]

Thanks Andres.

[Zee Nagual]

Ribi Ribi is our Tiki 30 name ( one pe hull ) , its our own private lingo , meaning - fishy fishy , that is how we call our colony of pet Bream that used to live under our previous cat , we call ,they come , we feed them ,and they swim with us and gently nibble and  we play  . One day we had a visitor , a teenage girl who was not a good news , she walked trough the shallows to get to the boat . Our bream must have felt her vibe as they attack her and bite her legs pretty good , that was the only such an incident ,they never bite anyone else .... looking at our two hulls , they really look like two fishes , so we are very happy with that name , looking foreword to make more fish friends in near future ,cheers ,happy building and cruising everyone .  

[Tony Nannette Brett]

Really GREAT discussion thread! I wanted to call ours 'strings 'n things' - didn't get the skippers vote unfortunately 

[Tom Haver]

I named my tiki 38 Tinto after my ginger (red) cat who adopted me in stead of me adopting him.

When that happend I was living in spain sipping red wine (vino tino)

So the cat whas named tinto.

Unfortuately he is eaten by a fox or wild dogs.

But I always knew the boat would be red.

Tom

Tinto