September . . . What's in a Name

Naming a vessel is a tradition that dates back thousands of years and often considers the beliefs, customs and frequently the superstitions of the people naming it. The navy believed that the name could bring good fortune and safety to the crew and mission. Whatever the reason, the tradition continues to this day with different ceremonies and rituals and we joined the fun.

Choosing a name has been much harder than we anticipated. Selecting a boat name is more than just the name that goes on the boat, in the cruising community the boat name is often how the crew is known. So selecting that name is also like getting to select your own nickname. If only it were that easy for all those that were stuck with bad nicknames from childhood . . . Stinky, Baldy, BooBoo, Chunky Monkey.

But there are also some practical things to consider about the name of the vessel. The name is used on the radio for hailing a port, entering a marina, or communicating with a bridge operator. Making sure the name can be understood, often through a crackling radio or the wind, is important.

Sometimes that name will need to be spelled using the NATO Phonetic Alphabet – Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. So the longer the name the more complicated it can be. So we tabled the names: Sea-Battical, Pier Pressure, Butternut Sippy Cup (reference to “The Adam Project”), Perseverance, and others.

At first, we really liked the funny names: SV Rescue Me – imagine calling into Port with that name. How many “who’s on first” conversations begin with that? Or how about SV Leave Me Alone. Might really be an issue if a mayday call is needed.

We wanted a name that was meaningful to us, but not something we need to spend a lot of time explaining if someone asked. Our journey to getting begin sailing was a slow and steady commitment to our end goal and having a sailboat meant that we weren’t going to get anywhere fast. So we began to consider the Aesop Fable of the “Tortoise And The Hare”.

As we narrowed the list, in the running was:

1. SV Paladin

2. SV At Last

3. SV Blue Tortuga

4. SV Roja Speedo

Okay, so maybe Roja Speedo was not really in the running, but it was fun to laugh about. In the end, the name that won out (as you already know) was Blue Tortuga – a mesh of languages and kidda long, nevertheless, a perfect fit for us. Plus a cute little turtle to match!