I learned to sail in a boat called ‘Cambridge District’ which my siblings and I thought was an almost embarrassingly unromantic name. It recorded the fact that she was a retirement present to my grandfather, from his staff in the Cambridge district of the London and North Eastern Railway before WW2. In 1964 I found myself, as a junior doctor at Addenbrookes Hospital, caring for a retired railway porter who remembered my grandfather as ‘a real gennlemun’ and recalled, as a 14 year old, putting his pennies in the ‘hat’ which came round for the gift - ‘we bought him a boat: fancy that, but that’s what he wanted’. Needless to say, he was no-end chuffed (no rather abstruse pun intended) to hear about my connection with the boat in question.
Some years ago, Pete Greenfield thought it would be fun to have a ‘Spot the Silly Boat Name’ competition in Water Craft, suggesting that anyone, for example, who saw a pink speedboat called ‘Twisted Knickers” should write in. He received a very prim letter (which he published) from someone pointing out that boat names are very personal, and how dare PG make fun..... etc etc (the writer was probably right, but he wasn’t half pompous about it). PG immediately retracted and apologised, and there was no competition (which I think is probably a shame). I wrote in to point out that ‘Cutty Sark’ was a more than respectable ship’s name AND had just as much to do with ladies’ underwear as did ‘Twisted Knickers’.
My first Swallowboat (yes, they were called that then, so there) had to have a musical name - that’s just me. So she was ‘Cadenza’. My Trouper 12 continued that theme, an attractive name to do with music. (For those who don’t know, a cavatina is a solo in an opera, shorter than an aria and with an emphasis on melodic beauty.)
Michael R
