Naming a boat is a practice that dates back thousands of years when it was believed a vessel named after a god or goddess would bring good fortune at sea.
In time, names evolved to pay homage to a special woman in one’s life and today anything from the practical to the zany is found on transoms worldwide.
They have in common brevity and the ability to be understood clearly on the VHF. Beyond this, names are as varied and unique as their owners.
Like our personal names, a boat’s name can be an important part of our identity, carrying cultural, familial and historic connections. Such is the case for Joe and Cheryl Pengelly. The name for their Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht, Our ViBe, was decided after taking a ‘long time to think and putting pen to paper’.
Joe says there are three connections between the couple and their luxury motor yacht’s name.
“I’m from a small Cornish fishing village called Looe and most fishing boats when I was growing up began with the name ‘Our’, such as Our Daddy, Our Girls and Our Boys. Then Vibe is made up of ‘Vi’ for Victoria and ‘Be’ for Ben, our children. And the third connotation is that the boat that we currently sail – the 72 – is very much about Joe and Cheryl: it’s literally our vibe, our positive vibrations; it’s our history to date that has gotten us here.”
The Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht Fatboy turns heads for her looks, as well as her name, wherever she goes.
For other Riviera owners, the connection to personal identity is more dubious. So says Jacky Dijk, proud owner of Fatboy, a Riviera 68 Sports Motor Yacht. Jacky and his wife Rudi have their third Riviera on order, and they appear to be upgrading boat names to match.
“Our first Riviera was named Double D…for sure it’s not about size,” laughs Jacky. “It refers to the first letter of both our surnames, Dijk and Denzel. It’s nice to leave people guessing though. With Fatboy, although the boat is lean and strong, we used some products on the boat from a Dutch brand called Fatboy and we immediately liked it. Though I guess this time it does speak more about my size! With Fatboy it is funny to see people looking at the name on the boat and then looking at me – I hear them thinking, ‘It is not the boat!’”
Jacky is looking forward to a new Riviera 78 Motor Yacht. “We’re always trying to find a catchy name. Big Mama popped up in Rudi’s head and we liked it and used it as a project name at first. It will be delivered in 2022 and we’re thinking to name the tender Come to Mama.”
We’re always trying to find a catchy name.
Jacky Dijk
For some, a name speaks more about the motor yacht itself. Aqua Bella’s owners Connie and Tony Borgia adore their Belize 52 Daybridge.
“The comfort is just beyond and she’s so beautiful,” says Connie. “Being Italian and Maltese, we like that aqua means water and bella means beautiful. Aqua Bella is about my love of the water and our beautiful Belize; it’s perfect for us. Plus, all boats are girls and it’s a pretty name!”
There is, of course, the delicate subject of changing a boat’s name. The Huston family in New Zealand chose not to push their luck when they purchased Isobar 3, a Riviera 445 SUV.
“As it’s obviously bad luck to change a boat’s name, we figured that since it wasn’t our third Isobar, we could drop the 3 and continue with that name and, so far, luck still seems to be on our side!” says Ben Huston.
“We really like the name. With its reference to weather and barometric pressure, we thought it related well to a boating theme. Also, we’ve had guests aboard who have suggested it could be interpreted as ‘Ice Bar’ – with a few cold drinks being enjoyed on board while cruising!”
If you have an interesting boat name and would like to share its back story, why not get in touch at news@riviera.com.au.
