Boat Names, Part I

Since moving to Florida some thirty years ago I have been fascinated by boat names.  At that time we had a 17.5 foot power boat which H named "Misty." Most of the rest of the family made fun of her choice,  but in the ensuing years I have seen so many bizarre and humorous names on boats that "Misty" seems a perfectly good name.
Some years later, when we had graduated to a larger power boat and then to a 36 foot sailboat I began to take inventory.  I am one of those strange people who travel down the highway mentally (not out loud, of course) reading signs and wondering about the names of cities and streets, so it was a logical step to move on to boat names. When we purchased the 36 foot Watkins we thought and thought about what to name her. The captain came home one day with a gleam in his eye and the perfect name: Seaduction! Get it? the clever misspelling of seduction? We were so proud of this cleverness.  Until we discovered umpteen other owners had cleverly thought up the same name; indeed it was top of the list of the ten most used boat names.  Color us deflated.
After that boat was either stolen or lost at sea (don't ask!) we purchased another boat (which we still own and which lives in Florida and which is for sale...hint, hint) which was named "Stray Dogs," a name painted in large script on the stern.  The captain just didn't like that name and after considering a long list supplied by books and friends, he decided that "Odyssey" fit the boat and its purpose. Turns out Odyssey as a boat name has  nearly as many fans as "Seaduction." Still, the captain applied for a change of name on the documentation. While awaiting the official papers he was out on the intracoastal one day; arriving at one of the many bridges in Fort Lauderdale  he called on the radio and requested an opening. A sweet young bridge tender came on the radio asking, in her soft southern drawl, "What is your vessel's name, Captain?" Using his most gravely pirate voice he replied, "Stray Dogs, ma'am."  The bridge tender responded with a giggle, and in such a playful, seductive manner that the captain made an instantaneous decision to rename the boat Stray Dogs. Even the thought going through the documentation process again could not deter him!
When we purchased our current boat, Milagro, we loved her name (which means miracle in Spanish) and really didn't consider calling her anything else.  The owner's wife and I were standing, chatting as we watched Milagro being hauled out of the water for the requisite bottom inspection. She said, casually, "You're going to change the name, aren't you?" " No, I replied. We love her name." The lady responded that that was their name and she would see about having something written in the agreement preventing us from using Milagro. "You can't do that," the spouse told her. Well, they still spend winters in La Paz where they are known as the old Milagro and we are called the new Milagro.  And they don't speak to us, which we find amusing. True, it doesn't take a lot to entertain us. More on other choice boat names, soon.
So what's in a name, you ask. apparently a lot.