Larry Kaplan: Is there a boat called June?

Story by Larry Kaplan

I enjoyed playing badminton(with you) yesterday with the two schooners named, WHITE CLOUD.
We even came out with a winner and a loser…sort of.
Mayhaps you will find this interesting; I always have.
There’s an unwritten rule that the name given a boat is/can EASILY be understood by anybody on the OTHER end of a distress radio call. Any misunderstanding takes potentially valuable time because when the rescuer (Coast Guard, maybe) has no idea what the name of the boat really is, that rescuer cannot broadcast effectively to boats within the rescue perimeter. You can just imagine what, “Cool Boat Really Bitchen’ Outtasight Motoryacht” might sound like to a rescuer in a hastily transmitted Mayday call! WHAT is the name of your boat??? Huh? Whadidyousay?
It’s one of the reasons that you see fishing boats at Fisherman’s Wharf named, “Sally”…”Mary Lou”…”Helen”…etc., etc.
There’s another tradition about naming boats. It’s often thought that CHANGING the name of a boat is bad Ju-Ju. I own a boat called, “Susie”. You purchase her, and want to change her name to, “June”. In SOME circles, that just ain’t done.
A circuitous route is within this e mail.
There are a whole bunch of boats named, WHITE CLOUD…


Email Larry Kaplan: [email protected]