As much as I like Marsh Hen as a name for my Suncat, it sounds too much like Martian over the radio. When I am being hailed, or, am cussing the sport fishers for waking me, the name needs to be clear.
My daughters had a cat when they were young named Popcorn. They used to dress the poor thing up in doll clothes and push him around in a baby carriage. He took the abuse like a trooper. My girls are grown now with kids of there own, but they would appreciate memory.
We'll see. Time is on my side.
My first thought was Reuben Trane's Marsh Hen and thought you might have had one in your past. Not that the sport fishers would care.
Our 19 is Miss Adventure. When we 1st purchased her, every outing had some type of misadventure. Now that I think about it, they still do.
I'm taking a PS Orion out for a test sail, short haul and survey this Thursday. Her hull states her name as Maggie Blue, but it's registered with the CG as Breakfast Chocolate. I'm sure there is a good story behind it, but hailing it wouldn't be too convenient.
Nice!
No Bruce, Marsh Hen came about from living in Charleston on the marsh for years. Their cackle is one of my favorite sounds. Of course now I am inland a bit (grand kids and all). But Lake Murray is a nice body of water and I'm only two hours from the coast.
Ah, the real deal. Marsh Hens don't quite get to Narragansett Bay, we do enjoy watching shore birds.
I did love the Popcorn story!
Perhaps a funny story... I had a Precision 18 for about two years and I named it "Clewless" Sailors loved it and fisher people would say you spelled clueless wrong! Anyway, I had an issue out in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with the fuel pump on my outboard taking a dump and the wind totally dying. As soon as I picked up my HT to call for help, I realized how it would probably sound, "This is the sailboat Clewless and I need a tow!" Needless to say, I did not name the boat on the VHF radio and my next two boats have been named Off The Wind. Not sure if the new to me, next week, Com Pac Horizon has been named but if not, she will become perhaps the third Off The Wind or maybe 2 sheets to the wind? (remember she is a cat boat). Sail On Al
Al,
Shouldn't a cat boat be named one sheet to the wind :-) ?
Nice one, Carl. But Al's new boat is already named "Petit Chat" French for little cat.
I you want to rename her, Al, remember the proper procedure -- the one I sorta remember is partly crude, 're-christen her with the urine of a virgin'. If there's a baby around, no problem. ;-}
I'm sure there are other acceptable procedures.
dont name her "CAT" TASHTOPHY
A friend of mine in Charleston SC was given a 40 foot plus ketch by an aging couple that could no longer maintain or sail her. I don't remember the make, but she was a decent looking boat with nice lines.
My friend and his wife were very excited and named her "Free". After a year or more of working on her, he told me they were thinking of renaming her "Anything But Free".
im old school. name after a woman
They are all shes regardless. No one wants to go sailing on a he :)
amen to that
In years past I had a Herreshoff America, the 18' catboat. I fitted it with a VHF, antenna on top of the mas, coax down the inside, radio mostly protected under a cockpit seat. I did this chiefly to talk to the USCG, which always uses proper VHF protocol. I had named the boat "Oink."
Now after being on the beach for several years I'm readying a 16, my second one. I never formally named the first one but Sloop du Jour was mentioned occasionally. That is probably going to be the rename, from Cinnamon Chips. (?) However the one time I took my son, who was a holy terror with puns, As we motored down Dog River toward Mobile Bay, I took off my expansion band watch and slipped it over the tiller. Todd commented that that was a good place for a watch and I said "Yes, it's for--" and we both said at the same instant, "tillng time!" My son died in a car accident Christmas night, 1993, at age 24. I'm tempted to name the 16 Tilling Time, but I'm not sure which set of memories that would evoke every time I though about or looked at or was on the boat.
Was sailing back in on the 20 once when a racer went tearing past me, up on beam ends, two crew with the butts outboard of the high side. Name: Full Tilt Boogie. Perfect. Later learned that was the name of one of Janis Joplin's back up bands.
Names.....our first boat was a plank wooden sailboat with cabin that was 17' long including bowsprit built by a local yard. Owned in a partnership with my BIL it was affectionately known as "Sea Slut" although my wife refused to let us actually put the name on her. She was replaced with a Columbia 24 Challenger which was named "Faux Pas" which fit both our personalities at the time as well as our sailing abilities. She was replaced with a Columbia 8.7 which came with the name "Cygnus" which we kept, as it was an elegant sailing craft much like the "Swan" that the Constellation Cygnus means in latinized Greek.
My current Compac 23IV, owned by just me, is named "Arion". It came with that name and I intended to change it but didn't. At the time, my grandson was a toddler and my wife was reading him Jimmy Buffet stuff which included "Orion" which Eliott did not distinguish the difference and would talk about our sailboat when he was read the stories.
Arion was a mythical character who was essentially a poet and musician from the Greek Island of Lesbos, but traveled to a far land for his sponsor the King of Corinth to participate in a music competition. He won but on his return he was forced to "walk the plank". He played his music before and it drew dolphins that ended up saving him. All was well upon his return the King dispatched those who attempted to harm him and had stolen his prize from the contest.
Now the Island of Lesbos, as might be imagined is populated by many Lesbians. The two very nice women who sold me the boat were of that persuasion and I can only assume that is where the name came from. I've often wondered how many people know enough to make that connection........
So at this point I'm too old to be concerned and the boat is too old to change without leaving a shadow of the former name due to fading.
One of my all-time favorites is a Gunboat that used to race in St. Bart named "Looking for Elvis". The entire crew would dress up like The King. I don't know how often they won but they sure had a good time.
i vote "tiller time"
My first boat, that deserved a name was "Without a Clew" . PO named her. I then bought a Precision 21 that I decided would have a shortened name of "Clewless" Sailors loved it and would comment as they saw the name on the stern. HOWEVER, one evening out on Lake Geneva with a friend we lost all wind. And, I mean all wind. No problem I fired up the outboard, or should I say tried. Realized I had drained or siphoned out all the gas from the tank through a faulty fuel pump. Let's see no gas and no wind and 1 mile from my buoy. I picked up my HT and before I said anything I realized how it would sound to say, "This is the sailboat Clewless and we have run out of gas and there is no wind....." I figured everyone would hear Clueless NOT Clewless. So I did not use the name of the boat. LOL My next boat was a Precision 21 that I named Off The Wind. Next boat was a Com Pac Eclipse (up for sale in April) that I also named Off The Wind. My latest boat, a beautiful Horizon was named by the previous owner Petit Chat (little cat in French). That's my story and I am sticking to it! Sail On, Al
I was bequeathed a 1961 27' Chris Craft Cavalier back in '94. It had no name , so I called it "Costa Nada". After Restoration, It was renamed "Costa Lotta". My CP 19 is named S'go short for me hitching my hips in the cockpit urging it along saying "lets GO already!"
So after a long consideration, we have settled on "Popcorn" for the name of our 2014 Suncat. Not after the snack, but after a family cat that gets the honor for enduring the abuse dished out by the two little darlings pictured below.
Don't let those sweet faces fool you. When they were playing house, it was Popcorn that was their pretend baby. He was chased down, dressed in doll clothes, and pushed around in a toy baby stroller. Even though Popcorn was a full grown tom cat, he would put up with the abuse without ever biting or scratching his tormentors.
Popcorn is long gone and the girls are grown with kids of their own. So here's to you, Popcorn. We honor your memory and namesake for earming your keep.