Boat Names

Boat names are important, at least to us they are.  That said, all boats can be renamed but I've wondered if it's proper to change the name of a boat. While looking for our dream sailboat, Dave and I certainly paid attention to the name on the stern.  One of the first boats that drew our attention was the 30 ft. Columbia named "Yes Dear".  The name made me laugh but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.  

Dave believes that a beautiful boat should have a feminine name.  There are a lot of boats with "Lady" as part of their name.  "Windswept Lady" was the boat we visited in Michigan City, IN.  The St. Croix River has a line of cabin cruisers with names like "Lady Luck".  I don't think there was much luck involved in owning these monstrosities.  One of the Hallberg Rassy's we liked had the name 'Nabulous'.  Did the owner "Nab" a fabulous deal?  We liked the name of the other Hallberg Rassy we visited, "Annabelle" and the name of the beautiful Allied Seabreeze we visited in Noank, CT, "Arabella".  These two boats were older classic models and had grace just like their names.  

In October, 2012 we took a day trip to Escanaba, MI to see a boat that had no name, or so we thought.  This 1966 Alberg 35 was a surprise for us.  We'd seen so many boats that were described as beautifully maintained, mindfully restored and worth top dollar.  This boat was listed at $37,000, some $7,000 over our budget and $17,000 over the original budget we set for ourselves two years ago.  We found the "marina" that this boat was stored at.  It was an interesting place, not really a marina at all, rather more like a boatyard.  We met the owner, Billy Wildman in Escanaba and followed him to the North Shore Boat Launch and Vinette Boatworks.  He led us into a large building, chatting lightly about the improvements made to this almost 50 year old vessel.  Right away, I liked Bill.  He had a kind, warm face and a gentle handshake.  He looked into our eyes when he spoke and he had a passion for sailing and his vessel.  We have met so many people who we felt we couldn't trust.  Finally, we'd found a kindred spirit.  Bill had spent his life sailing.  In addition, he was in a blues band, the harmonica player.  He spoke, fondly, of his days aboard the Alberg 35 and was proud of the simplicity and beauty of her.  We had a lot in common.  

The Alberg 35 was on a cradle so we walked around and looked at the hull.  Bill pointed out a spot that had been repaired after the boat bumped a rock.  The hull was smooth and you could not tell there was a repair.  This boat had a beautiful paint job.  This was the prettiest boat we'd seen so far.  Both Dave and I noticed that this Alberg DID have a name, after all.  We each made a mental note that the name started with a T and had a lot of consonants but, later, we both commented that the word was strange and difficult to pronounce.  Bill led us up a set of open stairs to a landing so we could see the boat from above.  There were 3 boats in a row, the Alberg was in the middle.  Bill boarded the boat closest to us and we walked from that boat to the Alberg.  Bill asked me, "Beth, so you like to sail?"  I responded, "Yes, I do, but I don't like heights!"  Once I had made my way across the first deck and had boarded the Alberg I was OK.  I think Bill liked my answer, "Yes, I do like to sail."

Bill went over the entire boat with Dave and showed him improvements and modifications.  There was a spotless new motor, nice cushions, a bowsprits had been added to keep the anchors away from the the boat and it reduces weather helm, the tendency of a boat to round up into the wind while.  It has a cabin heater and two booms, the original spruce boom and an aluminum spare.  The spruce boom is equipped with the one of the first roller reefing systems ever made.  The former owner who was preparing the boat for an around the world cruise thought that the spruce boom was difficult to reef single handed so he replaced it with the aluminum and a simpler reefing system.  The boat was immaculate.  Dave commented that this was the cleanest boat we'd looked at.  We were intrigued.  

Bill left us to allow us to look around for a bit.  When he returned he brought paperwork on the boat. This is a USCG certified boat which means it is certified with the Federal Government.  Bill told us about the former owner and the history of the boat as a racing vessel.  He had a photo of the boat racing in Lake MI just last year.  Bill looked at me and said, "I want you to have this."  I wasn't sure about taking it but I felt like he really wanted us to have it.  It seemed like he liked us and maybe, just maybe he thought we would make good owners of this lovely Good Old Boat. 

Back to boat names; after leaving the boat launch we realized that we hadn't written down the name we saw on the stern.  We both had an idea of what it was but it was a word that neither of us recognized.  When we got home, Dave started doing searches on what he thought the name was.  It took a while but he finally found it.  TRACTATUS, yep Tractatus is the name of this beauty.  Now, I mentioned that names do matter, especially to us.  We had to know what this meant.  Dave found the word in an old spanish/english dictionary.  It is a math term that means to work things out by talking them through.  We were not sure what this had to do with sailing and we have no idea who named her.  It also is Latin for Treatise.  At this point, we were pretty sure we would change the name if we bought the boat.

Later, while looking up the USCG certification online, we we were both delighted and surprised to learn that the boat was originally named "Mystic".  Mystic is a beautiful, soft word that conjures up fantasy and mystery and adventure.  In addition, it is the name of a beautiful town in CT, near where I grew up.  This news made us both smile.  It seemed to be a sign or karma.  This was OUR boat and it was meant to be.  Although this may truly be the boat of our dreams, now Dave has to make it happen during the negotiation phase.  Dave likes the name Mystic but is also tossing in the option, "Madeline", which is very sweet since it is my legal name.  I was named Madeline Elizabeth Dailey at birth but was always called Beth.  Madeline is a beautiful name worthy of being on the stern of a beautiful boat.  We have time to decide and we have time to learn more about the name Tractatus.  Maybe the owner has a great story to tell about how the boat got this name.  Time will tell...