I was much taken with the article in Sunday's New York Times on boat names. I grew up in San Francisco and Seattle so I've seen a lot of weekender boats with names that made me groan. Every would-be yachtsman and salty seadog loves a pun if they aren't enamoured of purple prose. The Times put together an alphabetical list of the worst of the worst. Classic examples are "Freudian Sloop," " Jamaica-Me-Crazy," "Sailing Solution," "Tinytanic," and my personal favorite, "Somebody Slap Me." Anti-depressants make an appearance, too; there's at least one Prozac and one Zoloft floating around out there.
However, there's not a pun to be found in the top ten boat names for 2000, culled from the Boat Owners Association of the United States (and I'll bet they're a fun bunch). Instead, numerous boat owners go in for romantic, poetic imagery. Here's the list:
1. Serenity
2. Irish Eyes
3. Island Time
4. Sea Spirit
5. Obession
6. Time Out
7. Reel Time
8. Escapade
9. Southern Comfort
10. Serendipity
Isn't that sweet? But I think I'd rather put to sea on the "Marlin Monroe."
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