What's in a (Boat) Name?

Hey, what happened to that other accent mark?

This list has been in the making for a couple of years but I never could seem to get it to the point of being "blog ready". So I put the finishing touches on it while in Belize in April.

Sitting out a weather front , Deja Vu is anchored about 12 miles off the Belizean coast. To be absolutely precise, we are anchored at latitude 17.08.057 north, by longitude 88.04.821 west. Bobbing around in 10 feet of water (considered by some to be a generous depth inside the barrier reef) with 15-20 knot winds from the north. We’re tucked in behind the Colson Cays, a group of several mangrove islands with a couple of local fishing shacks and not much else. But this is the perfect spot for protection from these winds which are sweeping down from the Gulf of Mexico and we may be here a few days until the front passes through.

Since I’ve got nothing better to do today, I’ll share with you a fully categorized and lengthy list of boat names we’ve come across in our travels. Without further suspense, here are 11 (!) categories and the boats that inhabit them. Send me your boat name and I'll add it to the almost infamous list.

Escapist: Slip Away, Changes in Latitudes, Rx-Ta-Sea, Seabattical, Eclipse, Androsian, Sea Change, Sun Dazzler, Beausoleil, Jumbie (island spirit), Beachouse, Island Time, Barefoot, Winterlude, Dolphin, Sun Dog, Tiki, Winterlude, Discovery, Continental Drift

Flying things: Dragonfly, Willet, Sanderling, Kittiwake, Osprey, Hawk, Calidris Alba (sandpiper), Aquila (eagle), Griffin

Mythical/Heroic: Argo, Antares, Dragonheart, Sea Dragon, Aeolus, Polaris, Magic Dragon, Griffin and Ursa Major (our former Peterson 44)

Antares (Valiant 42) at anchor ~ Rendezvous Cay, Belize

Testosterone/Speed-Driven: Wild Horses, Endorphins, Lickety-Split, Infamy, Coaster, Tiburon (shark), Insatiable One, Scud, Hoof Beats Wet Dream (really), Cayuse

Meditative: Namaste, Repose, Sanctuary, Respite, Reverie, Dream Catcher, Tranquillity, Sea Whisper

Windy: Windbird, Wind Quest, Windcrest, Wind’s End, Wind Free, Tempest, Second Wind

Whimsical: Up Jinks, Groundhog, Escargot, Continental Drift, Famous Potatoes (really!)

Hearty: Wooden Heart, Heart of Gold, Angel Heart,

Silly Catamaran Names: Ber Kat, Catalyst, Purrfect, Twiny,

Women (boring but sweet): Wanda Jean, Katinka, Valentina, Helen Marie, Kailani, Ruthi B, Sno Virgin, Bettie, Frances V., Enchantress, Angelina, Waltzing Matilda, Helen Louise, Christiana

Pretentious: Leonore of Sark, Dynasty of Tainan, Ex-Doc

Names that defy categorization: Sea Yeti, Bizim ("ours" in Turkish and naughty child in Scottish where it is spelled "Bisim"), Beyond Reason, Lyric, Capraia*, Steel Magnolia, , 40 Mile, Litbe, Lapis, True Colors, Zeelander (Dutch), Esperanza (Hope), Evergreen (Vermont)

*comment from the owners of Capraia: " I had done a list of all the boats we met on the Rio but by circumnavigators, full timers, half timers and coasters. It's amazing how many great people we are all meeting out there. By the way, Capraia is a tiny island in Italy. We stayed there two nights while chartering out of Corsica while sitting out one of the Med's infamous blows. A cozy place where we met a bunch of German sailors. A few years later we visited their homes in Frammersbach and also sailed together with Capraia and their charter boat above and below Cape Cod.

Caye Caulker, Belize (photo by Sharon Smith)