The Big Reveal

The big reveal.

Want to try something really hard? Come up with a name for the boat that is going to be both your home and caravan for the next few years.
I’ve given it years (literally) of thought and finally came up with the name … …. Umm … wait … I can’t just do it this way …. YOU have to read through the whole background; the logic, the thought-tossing and dock wandering episode, before you can learn this.
OK, sit right back and I'll tell the tale … It became readily apparent during our early planning stages that we would likely rename any boat we purchased. The names we walked by, read about and tossed around were pretty much common ones with the occasional extreme of innovation mixed in.

As I understand it, “Obsession” is the most common boat name, and for a sailboat “Wind catcher” or “Dream Catcher” comes in a close second. We’ve seen some really cute ones too (i.e. the “Black Squirrel”, “White Rabbit”, “Island Time” and “Pier Pressure”). Leave it to people to be creative … “Arrrr! Rated” was a favorite and “Yachtsea” and “Pair a docs” are clever. There are websites devoted to boat names much as there are books and websites devoted to baby names. It’s a big deal to have the boat named (OK, I guess some of them aren’t named, but it is rare … and most folks even name their dinghies!). Boat naming is all about personality; either that of the owner, company, situation or of the boat itself. Certainly “Drifter” can be about any of those situations but “Money Pit” is likely to be a gas-guzzler :)

When Robin and I decided to chase a new name for the future boat, we wanted it to reflect the whole package; who we were as a couple, where we were in life’s journey what the purpose of owning a sailboat was all about and what the temperament of the boat should be. Easy-peasy, yes? Not quite … I’m not sure if I volunteered, got volunteered, or just mentioned that I was thinking of a couple of good candidate names if we ever got a boat, but suddenly I found myself in the position of trust and writing down every kind of name that came into my head. Seems it would be my job to come up with the name. Robin said she trusted me to come up with a good one and that we’d go with whatever I decided. Really??

OK, game on! So … while it didn’t really become an ‘obsession’, it did occupy my thinking for a while. I just started hearing things that sounded promising but nothing really jumped out at me. Every time I walked the docks at either the home marina or at any of the ones we visited, I had in the back of my mind that I might stumble across someone else’s idea that would work for us. What I discovered though, was that I wanted a name which conveyed more than just a cuteness, quip, or status symbol ("Legal-Ease", etc...). I began to formulate a line of thinking about this that moved into a “making a statement” mode. What I wanted was for the name of our boat to speak to those who know us, know where we’ve been and to those who will come to know us and to some degree define us by our chosen name. This … is a tall order.

It’s not that we haven’t been down this road before. Those who attended our wedding know that the theme was ‘The Pieces Fit’. Now, we didn’t originate that idea, but when we heard it (thanks forever, John) we knew immediately that it was appropriate and was a perfect match for what we were about to undertake. The puzzle theme wedding was awesome and worked well to describe where we came from and what we intended to so. That’s what I wanted to capture for the boat naming.

Well, inevitably it happened. The idea started to congeal and I actually began to 'work' on some really great themes. I got to thinking about some of our favorite places, things, songs, movies, quips and activities. I thought about some of our 'pet' sayings, favorite movie quotes, kids names' acronyms and tributes to someone or some thing that has made this journey possible. I started a list and ... it grew. I pulled from several different, wide-ranging themes while grasping for that elusive 'perfect' name. Falling back on our wedding theme, which was based on the idea that 'the pieces fit' with respect to our lives and dreams, I liked "Puzzled", "The Pieces Fit", and even "Ongoing Honeymoon" as candidates. I considered using the theme from what is ostensibly "our" song, 'A whole New World', from the movie "Aladdin" and cosidered "Magic Carpet" and "Whole New World". Robin and I don't have a huge, long history together, less than 8 years of marriage as of this writing. They've been exciting and very full years though and we've had the chance to see and do some amazing things as well as had the chance to work through some trials and hardships.
What we've both discovered though, is that we really cherish the times when we're not on the go so much; when we can relax and take things slowly (think "Island TIme") or take some time away from the demands and worries to play carefree for a while (think "Hakuna Matatta"). I'm sure you can see where this is going...
The list grew. Ultimately, it came down to a day when I had the idea that yes, I'd like to name the boat in such a way as to reflect our goal for the sailing lifestyle. That is; slowing down, taking it kind of easy and letting what comes along be enough adventure for us. We also know that sailing can be demanding and take a lot of skill so gee .. how do those two concepts mesh. I finally found it in music.

Robin and I have both been relatively musical by nature. She has a great voice and plays piano and I can indeed carry a tune in a bucket and given 6 properly tuned guitar strings can pull off a C, F and G chord pattern well enough to do a tune. Music has been part of our relationship all along and that's what I thought should go forward with us. I finally found a name. And I sat on it for a year.

Now, it was a different game; I had one, was pretty settled that it was exactly right and now wanted to test it against other options, both on my list and what I was seeing on the docks. It held up and I told Robin I had selected a name. She didn't want to know ... I sat on it for another year. Finally, when it was becoming apparent that we had found the boat that we wanted, she let me know that she was ready to learn the name I'd picked. Is this pressure or what? I wrote her a letter (some of the material within is a re-hash of what's been said, but I figure the full text is best in spite of any redundancy). I read it verbatim while we sitting aboard our current boat and dreaming about our next boat. This was about 6 months ago:

     “Robin, I chose this name : Today I have the opportunity that is seldom afforded the average person. It's truly a "much ado about something" event, and has been surprisingly consuming over the past few years. Robin, you have been incredibly gracious, patient and trusting as I decided on and then lived with this boat name in my head for what has been, now, over two years. We've seen a lot of boats in our wanderings. They're named after people, places, jobs, or whimsy. Some have been very creative and some have been questionable; who wants a sailboat named "Storm Rider"? Still, to each his own and it's not OUR boat. I wanted a name; not just to identify the boat, but to identify us. I wanted a name that would speak, in one word, to the chasing after and realization of our dream and that reflects our new life aboard. I wanted a name that people will "get"; that they'll understand and go "yeah, that's a good description".

I gave it a ton of thought. I made lists, studied boat owner's forums, magazines, boat sales websites and even "most popular boat names" Google results. I wrapped up boating with music, our favorite movies, Star Trek, and stuff from our jobs, families and friends. But, as in all things, one day it hit my list and I knew the search was over. I decided this would do, and that I'd sit on it until something maybe changed my mind. The opposite has happened, actually.

OK ... enough blather. Here's what I have: The word is a musical term. Perfect because we both like and come from musical backgrounds. Perfect because we both want to be in tune with each other and with our situation, perfect because we both understand the rythym and tempo and dynamics of our lives together. Our lives have been a clear example of wanting to live in the slow lane and finding ourselves swallowed up by the frenzy of making a living, dealing with life from one crisis to the next and trying to keep to our plan along the way. We've been surpirsed, dismayed and diverted along the way, but somehow we've managed to come to this point intact and still looking forward to the next step. The lead up, or prelude, was amazing; getting married, setting up life and then thoroughly enjoying it. The next steps were all part of this symphony of life we call marriage; the sonata, or opening composition, that was orchestrated to keep us going forward and the rondo, or section that has held us to the allegro pace in our jobs and the routine that is day to day life and then the minuets; the vivacious and social outgoings with cherished friends and awesome acquaintances that we've been blessed to know in our years together.

This leads us to the next section of our musical masterpiece, this thing orchestrated, arranged and scored specifically for us by God who knows what plans He has for us ... those plans to prosper us. I chose this name from the movement of a symphony that means: 'slowly'. We've talked about 'Life and Walking Speed' since the beginning, and I wanted to make sure that was reflected in out boat's name. But I also wanted it to speak to the idea that it was US, as partners in this amazingly choreographed dance called life and as soul-mates heading into the new life defined by slowing down, taking in the sights and sounds, and resting from the 'presto' pace of the rat race.

The name means: literally, "at ease" in a musical sense. That portion of a musical work marked to be played in a graceful, leisurely manner but not to the point of 'Grave', not a crawl but a relaxing walk. To me this captures what we have been chasing after; ending the madhouse chase and coming to things at a completely unhurried pace.

But, there's a second definition: While this name is a tempo mark denoting a slow, leisurely manner of things it is also a definition of dance. “That dance being between a man and a woman on the ballet floor”. And although I've never thought of myself as a candidate for the ballet floor, I have .. and we have, been very aware of the dance we've been doing in our lives together. That dance, sometimes involving slow cheek to cheek moments and sometimes a frenetic juggling act has been what others see as our togetherness. For the most part, outsiders have witnessed our dance and wanted to know how we do it, why we smile and what music we follow that keeps us happy. I know we are happy to share when we can and I expect that'll continue to happen; maybe even more. The dance, a part of the pas-de-duex that is slowed down, involves the ballerina and her partner performing slow, lyrical movements requiring great skill, balance and timing; the movements of these partners demonstrating great control and ease.

This is what I wanted to capture for us and this is where I believe we are headed and this is why I've chosen the simplest of names: ‘Adagio’." I hope you like it. ...
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 … We are now in possession of our new boat (see that blog entry) and she is registered in the state of Rhode Island and documented with the U.S. Coast as "S/V Adagio". We still have to put out to open water to do the renaming ceremony, but that's the fun part!