Planks and sawdust … both eyes

Jim June 2nd, 2007

Well, first off, that last post was a bit hurried, and I didn’t fully (or at all) explain the various names and why they may or may not be good names for a boat. Joe was kind enough to point that out, and explanations will follow in this post. Also, I didn’t describe any of the photos posted or what various challenges I had to overcome. So I went back and edited the previous post so hopefully it is a little more informative.

Here’s the skinny on the possible names for the boat:

Cuyahoga: The name of the river which is the defining geographic feature of my homeland. Pretty self-explanatory.

Santiago/Esquife de Santiago: This one is a bit more … something. First off, Santiago is the name of the protagonist in two very good books: The Alchemist and The Old Man and The Sea. Esquife is, as I understand it, a Spanish/Portuguese word for skiff … so that’s more of a direct Old Man and the Sea reference, which is set primarily in Santiago’s oars-and-sail skiff, which I envision to be not unlike my boat. What’s more, Santiago is the Spanish name given to Saint James … which is my name! (I usually leave out the ‘Saint’ part, only for the sake of modesty). Downsides to this name include the fact that it takes like 3 minutes to explain, and also I don’t think esquife is a very common word (but I wouldn’t want to use a more common/less exact word like bote). Also, I don’t speak Spanish, so it is a little disingenuous.

Magpie: The name of a bird rumored to have shamanic qualities. Really, I just like the shape and sound of the word, and it has nothing to do with anything … although I am aware of the Mountain Goats song of the same name.

Grey-Beard Loon/Albatross: These are both Rime of the Ancient Mariner references … which I love so much I’m going to quote here (I’m surprised it took me this long):

He holds him with his skinny hand,
`There was a ship,’ quoth he.
`Hold off! Unhand me, grey-beard loon!’
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

He holds him with his glittering eye–
The Wedding-Guest stood still,
And listens like a three years’ child:
The Mariner hath his will.

The Black Pearl: I named my former car The Black Pearl … so the name is kind of taken. Plus it’s pretty cliche and dorky. What’s more The Black Pearl is “crewed by the damned, and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out” … so take that for what it is worth. But this is pretty great:

That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs but what a ship is… what the Black Pearl really is… is freedom.

Alright. Go vote, if you please.

One Response to “Planks and sawdust … both eyes”

  1. # A. Schampon 05 Jun 2007 at 7:21 am

    If you recall, the entire plot of the first movie revolved around the redemption of the crew from their cursed state, brought by the blood, willingly sacrificed, of the first-born son, freely given, for the salvation of all the crew (among other things). So consider that before you reject “the Black Pearl” on theological grounds.

    Though, for the record, I too like “Grey-beard Loon” and “Magpie” better.

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