GranolaBox

I finally went and done it. After a fairly long trip in my tandem kayak (aka the giant yellow war boat) I put it up for sale on Craig’s List and unloaded it. I bought the boat in a perfect fit of impulse buying. My first trip in a kayak and my income tax refund check came within a few days of each other and I bought the first kayak I could get my hands on. Who cares if it was made for two people and I would probably only be riding single? It was a kayak and I wanted it right away.

Because I never liked the tandem I didn’t get emotionally attached to it and felt no need to give it a name. After a day of intense shopping and another day of web research, I went out and got the boat I should have got in the first place, a Wilderness Systems Pamlico 100.

With a boat that I liked I set about the task of naming it. Being a music buff and a traditionalist (and I suppose somewhat of a sexist) I wanted to name the boat after a female performer.

Actually, my first thought was to name it after my wife or one of my daughters, but it’s only a kayak. If I ever get a big motorboat, sailboat, or yacht or something I’ll name it after one of them.

I wanted the singer I named the boat after to have some of the same characteristics as the boat. The boat is small, spunky, agile, quick, and since I’m the one paddling most of the time, very tipsy and unpredictable.

Patty Griffin came to mind, and her hair would match the red of the boat. As great as she is, she didn’t seem to fit the personality of my boat. Besides, she’s so rail thin that I couldn’t imagine her having the energy to do much more than strum her guitar.

My newer favorite singer, Amy Winehouse fits the bill perfectly. She’s tiny in stature, although like any good boat has impressive flotation padding. She certainly speaks her mind, and in terms of being tipsy and unpredictable, nobody, except maybe Courtney Love, could match Amy Winehouse.

My only hesistation in naming the boat after Amy Winehouse is that, given her current trajectory, my boat may very well outlive its namesake. In case of that unfortunate circumstance, I have a backup Amy. Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls has always been one of my favorite performers, and she’ll fit the characteristics okay for a backup.

Comment!
Who did you name YOUR boat after?
Who would you name your Wilderness Systems Pamlico 100 after?

Filed under: General Observations on August 1st, 2007