What’s in a name?

Finally! After four years we have a suitable name for our Cape Dory 36. “Gypsy Wind”.
Officially she is still “No Regrets” and that is what is on her transom but in my mind she is now “Gypsy Wind”

Gypsy is our amazing three legged Labradoodle. A few weeks ago someone asked me “How does she get along with a missing paw? I answered, “She can run like the wind!”. And Poof! There was the name that has escaped me for four years.

Last week I filed an application with the US Coast Guard to renew the Certificate of Documentation. The paperwork included changing the boats name from “No Regrets” to “Gypsy Wind”. It can take anywhere from four to sixteen weeks before the new documentation is issued. Once I receive it I can put the new name and hailing port on the transom. There will of course need to be a proper renaming ceremony.

The boat is Hull #9 and has had three owners and three names. Her first name was “Misty”. The name was inspired by the song “Misty” by Erroll Garner, a great song. Here is a version by Ella Fitzgerald . After twenty years of active sailing, including three trips to Bermuda she was sold.

The second owner named her “Pelican’s Perch”. They didn’t own her but a few years before putting her up for sale. Funny thing, I saw the ad on Yacht World back then and I inquired about her. I got the rundown from the broker but I dragged my feet and when I got back to him, she had sold.

The third owner named her “No Regrets”. The gentleman had always dreamed of owning a Cape Dory 36 but he had cancer and only got to sail her for a few years before he lost the battle. His wife kept the boat and a family friend helped her maintain it. Boating had run its course for her and her friend placed an ad on Craig’s List, which is were I found her.

After deciding on the name I searched the Internet for “Gypsy Wind”. I was somewhat disappointed to find several other sailboats named “Gypsy Wind”. As the saying goes, “there is nothing new under the sun”. But the good thing is they are all very cool boats and from what I can tell they are all actively sailed. Far too many boats stay at the dock unused. It’s difficult if not impossible to find a boat name that is unique. “Gypsy Wind” is a good name. We lucked out with naming our first boat “Mirage”. There were very few, maybe two or three we found on the Internet at the time. There have been three owners of “Mirage” since we sold her and she has remained “Mirage” thus far. It will be interesting to see if the name sticks. The original owner contacted me a year or so after we purchased her. We talked on the phone and exchanged a few emails. I think he would have been ecstatic if I renamed her back to “Misty”. I circled around to it many times but it didn’t take. I was leaning heavy to naming her “Dragonfly” and just as I was about to make it happen someone on the Cape Dory Facebook page posted that they just christened their boat “Dragonfly” and I backed off.