What's In a Name?

Often times a subject to espouse upon just comes to the wordsmith. Case in point, while attending a recent conference in San Diego on the utilization of technology in education, J actually went and learned a thing or two about the value of technology.

What he took away was simple - as long as education pushes technology that is fine and beneficial for the student, but when technology pushes the use of technology for technology's sake then the concept of learning to gain knowledge no longer exists.

His words, not the presenters, at the Innovation Summit.

This is actually rather creepy!

Back to the concept of this blog. After the conference ended each day, J would take a leisurely stroll along the Embarcadero. Stretching his legs and thoughts while peering at the hundreds of yachts tied near the waterside beside the Marriott and Sheraton just southwest of the Gas Lamp District.

Tens of millions of dollars worth - probably more - of every make and year of vessel resting gently on the waters of the San Diego Bay while tightly secured by mooring lines attached to the floating docks.

Lots and lots of money in boats in San Diego!

While enjoying the afternoon sun, J started to ponder the various names on the aft section of the boats. It seemed that every yacht was named this or that - not really 'this' or 'that' but a name which must have been dear or at least meant something to the owner of the yacht.

Then the question arose during that leisurely stroll - why were boats named and those names forever painted on the rear end of the boat? People didn't name their cars in the same fashion. People didn't name their RV's - motorhomes or travel trailers in the same fashion. People didn't place large letters on the side of their homes in the same fashion.

Oh, Captain - that does not work anywhere

Then why boats?

This called for research - that's what we do here.

Seems there is no definite time when seafarers started naming boats but it goes back to the idea of identity. Before the invention of instantaneous communication - that technology thing - people needed to know what boat a person was traveling on. You couldn't just say, "I'll be on the wooden boat with masts in the harbor." That really wouldn't have helped anyone in Boston in 1790 when all boats were wooden with masts now would it?

Uh - we're on the third boat to the left - can't miss us

So, slap a name on the rear of the boat and voila you knew where the person you were looking for was.

The love of naming boats never went away even when satellite phones came into existence and a person could talk to someone on the 'Big Kahuna' half way between Los Angeles and Honolulu.

One reason, and this could just be myth, is that naming a boat is good luck and not is not - good luck that is.

Somewhere back in the day (not sure what that means but heard a lot of that terminology at the conference - "back in the day when rotary phones made sense . . . ") people believed that the gods of the oceans, Poseidon or Neptune (choose your culture) kept a ledger of every ocean bearing boat that sailed. A name meant the boat was being watched over by either one of these two gods and that was a good thing.

Better name your boat and give me a drink while you're at it!

If they didn't know the name of your boat or it didn't have one then that would be a bad thing which could ultimately include sinking and drowning - a very bad way to ruin an ocean cruise.

So, name the boat and the captain and crew were probably safe except for possible hurricanes, monsoons, typhoons, rogue waves, pirates, running aground, and the occasional sea monster.

Technology is everywhere

And don't think of changing the name of the boat - that means bad luck. Of course, some seasoned sailors believe that is nonsense but let's stick with the myth. Much more exciting.

An example to illustrate the point - a husband wants to purchase  a yacht for his spouse for her birthday. A lovely thought but it would be unwise to give her a vessel with another woman's name on it. That could entail, depending on the strength of the marriage, disagreements or even yelling about what he was thinking?

Original thinking - yes

It should be noted that at one time pretty much every boat had a woman's name on it - the reason a ship is called a 'she' and not a 'he' - gender bias yes but that's they way of the sailing world back in the day (last time promise). That and the fact that in many languages, nouns have a gender, and boats are generally feminine. Hence, she's a beautiful ship. But I digress.

Can a boat's name be changed the husband would ponder prior to leading his lovely spouse down the gangway to view her new expensive gift? The answer is yes - - but there are a couple things that need to be done first.

Original thinking - probably not

All mention or telltale visage of the former boat's name must be vanquished. Get rid of every shred of evidence that boat was ever named anything but what the current name is to be. Be thorough - very thorough. Change the name on every legal and non-legal document.

Then and only then can the boat be renamed - Poseidon and/or Neptune will then wipe out the old name from their ledger and replace it with the new name and all will be well.

Forget to do this and the boat will sink and all will drown. Okay - maybe not but perhaps the motor will break or the BBQ will fall overboard with the night's dinner firmly attached to the grill.

Oh yes, there's some sort of ceremony and chants to the sea gods that go along with the whole ritual and even pouring libations into the surrounding waters to appease the alcoholic gods. So, chant away "Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans - blah, blah, blah," and pour away to rid your boat of any bad karma.

We at J and L highly recommend being a bit stingy on the pouring and then empty the bottle into two crystal flutes and toast the newly named yacht.

Just our opinion.

Not enough chanting or booze obviously

Life of a Sailor

City of San Diego skyline from the bay

J and L happened to bump into their old friend (figuratively speaking of course) Johnny Nevada from the Talk of San Diego on a beautiful 36 foot classic sailing yacht by the name of Lei Lani. She (that's how we sailors refer to yachts) was built in 1967 in Costa Mesa (a true California girl) by hand. That means every inch of this boat was lovingly caressed into the finely shaped vehicle she became.

Wow, sounds like the start of a romance novel.

The Lei Lani ready to sail

Lora Lei under sail

Seriously, the Lei Lani is a beautiful boat from stem to stern with the rich mahogany interior and the teak wood exterior which is kept up by the boat owners, Kyle and Ashley Corbett . Perhaps their more favored monikers would be the Big Kahuna (Kyle), and the Mermaid (Ashley) and both seem appropriate as both are excellent and professional sailors who spend most of the year in and around the San Diego Bay making a sailing tour into a memory of a lifetime.

Enjoying the bay



Owners - Ashley and Kyle Corbett

J of J and L had lived in San Diego eons ago and had always believed, and still does, that San Diego has one of the most stunning sky lines in the world (and he's traveled much of it and knows a thing or two about sky lines). But to see it from the waters edge is a special treat that not many can experience unless they are proud owners of their own boat or has had the ability and pleasure of sailing around it quietly aboard one of the two yachts owned by the Corbett's - the other being an almost retro thirty foot sailing yacht built in 1991 in San Francisco but looks like the sixties to this old salty dog (J and not L). The Lora Lei is just as handsome (can you say that about a woman) as the Lei Lani and as impeccably cared for. The Lei Lani and the Lora Lei are in the fleet owned by San Diego Sailing Tours (i.e. - the Corbett's) and either boat is a thrill to sail on especially with the knowledgeable and friendly crew.




Captain Kyle Corbett and the back of J's head

We had been invited by Johnny to go on a private tour of the magnificent San Diego Bay while he interviewed the co-owners of San Diego Sailing Tours (Kyle and Ashley) and if time permitted would chat us up a bit about J and L's recent three week trip to Ireland. It was our third time in front of the camera with the Talk of San Diego and made us feel like regulars and that was good. How many times has so and so been on Jay Leno and we're sure it's as exciting the hundredth time as it was the first but the difference being a person tends to get a little more relaxed each of those times and it was for us. Besides the fact Johnny and his wonderful interviewer, Ivonne Ferrero, made us feel right at home. And yes, Daniel Bentz, the sound man was very attentive but rather quiet (strange for a 'sound man') except when the microphone wasn't held to his liking - he's touchy like that.

Big Kahuna - Kyle Corbett

The cruise included many of the famous sites around the bay - San Diego is truly a city built around a bay, that including the Coronado Bridge, the famous floating Maritime Museum, the United States Naval station on Coronado, and one really interesting and new site which is the building of the replica sailing ship of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who discovered San Diego Bay on September 28th of 1542 (excepting it had already been discovered by the natives who resided there but let's not dither about the details shall we?). The flagship of Cabrillo's fleet, the San Salvador, is being rebuilt to exact measurements by the Maritime Museum right off of North Harbor Drive just west of the Spanish landing site (the only non-rocky stretch of waterfront) and the 200 ton galleon should be water-ready very soon which could mean a year or two but since it's been hundreds of years in the making a few more doesn't seem that important.

Mermaid - Ashley Corbett

As the cruise continued Johnny and Ivonne talked to the owners of the charter company and J and L, along with L's sister Beth Baker, just relaxed on the bow of the Lei Lani taking in the sun, wind and perfect weather which is a pretty steady stream in San Diego.


Laureen relaxing on the bow

John talking with Skipper Dave

Finally, Johnny stated we had a few minutes to interview J and as the yacht sailed noiselessly back to its slip on Harbor Island J and Johnny traded barbs on air about John's novel, 'Hunted', his next upcoming book 'Soft Target' and of course they both did their best to imitate the Irish accent which turned out to be a mix of somewhere between London and Dublin. It was rather amusing but not if they were both sitting in a pub in downtown Blarney. They may have been asked to leave after finishing their pints and not to come back to soon.



Johnny Nevada and Ivonne Ferrero kicking it on the Lei Lani

 Beth Baker enjoyed the sail

Of course, that could be just blarney but that is sometimes how blogs go.

http://youtu.be/U5fDBwlI-oQ

For more information just look below the ducks:

http://sandiegosailingtours.com/

http://www.thetalkofsandiego.com/