In a sea of choice, christening your new Riviera can be as daunting as naming a child. In the fourth instalment of our ‘What’s In a Name’ series, we speak with three owners who share the creative and entertaining stories behind naming their prized motor yachts.
Geoff Grenda’s magnificent Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht, Thunderstruck
Some Riviera owners admit they took longer deliberating over the name of their luxury motor yacht than they did with their children. At Experience Mag-azine, we completely understand. After all, owning a Riviera is likewise a great achievement that brings joy and happiness in spades. However, unlike an unusual child’s name, an owner welcomes the question: “What’s the story behind your Riviera’s name?”
For Geoff Grenda, naming a boat is tricky business indeed, especially for a mighty Riviera 72 Sports Motor Yacht. “I’m hopeless at deciding on the names of boats. I can never think of them or agree on them,” Geoff admits. “My younger son suggested Thunderstruck and I figured that it saved me thinking about it any longer. We’re just hoping it doesn’t get struck by lightning!”
"John is a movie and song fanatic so that’s how the name came to be."
DENYSE COUGHLAN, DRIVING MISS DAISY OWNER
Denyse and John Coughlan erupted into laughter when we asked for the provenance of Driving Miss Daisy, their 3600 Sport Yacht.
“The name became a ‘thing’ many, many years ago in my business,” says Sydneysider Denyse, who admits to loving her boats like she loves her cars: fast and luxurious. “One day, one of our staff members said to the man who was to become my husband, that I wandered around the factory like Daisy Duck [the cartoon character] because I wear very high heels and suits. The name stuck. Plus, John is a movie and song fanatic so that’s how the name came to be. Bizarre, but that’s the truth.”
With a new Riviera 4600 Platinum Sport Yacht on order, the Coughlans are considering the name Driving Mrs Daisy.
The Coughlans’ next Riviera is a 4600 Platinum Sport Yacht: sleek styling, luxurious single-level living and blue water heritage
Other owners take a more sentimental approach to naming their beloved Rivieras. Take Joe Peterson and his infamously named GUNK, the last Riviera 40 Flybridge ever constructed – and still going strong – with hull number 288. “It’s a combination of my two sons, Gus and Hank,” explains Joe, speaking from Seattle. Though he says most people assume it comes from ‘gunkholing’, the practice of cruising in shallow waters and meandering from place to place (which tends to collect gunk or mud on the anchor). “Libbi, my wife, is a dentist so sometimes people think the name comes from cleaning the gunk off teeth.”
Joe admits it’s far from a romantic name. “Sometimes we come into a real posh marina and radio in and you can hear the ‘Oh yeah?’ and then often times too, my boat starts looking really tribal with all the fishing gear on it; stacks of shrimp and crab pots.” Nevertheless, it’s a well-known Riviera around Seattle’s waterways for its ability to withstand high North Pacific seas.
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