A Fishing Boat Named …

All boats should have a name.

You never want to say, “Let’s go fishing in THE BOAT.”  The boat needs a name – sometimes odd but usually meaningful.

My Dad, a skilled craftsman, actually built his first boat.  He set up shop on the open carport on Margrave Road.  As he had the time and money, he would piddle with it.  Wooden, carefully measured, every cut precise.  It was a 12-foot boat for pond use only.  Sturdy, and the good part:  it actually would float.  I also learned some bad words during that project on the carport, but that’s off the subject.

“Our boat needs a name,” he said.  My Dad always used “our” when talking about his possessions.  He thought everything he had should be shared, especially with his children.  Nothing ever belonged to just him.

“We need to think about a name,” he said.  He always wanted to think for a while before making a profound decision.  “What about Todiha?” he blurted as though he already had thought long and hard about it.  Pronounced tah-dee-hay . . .

“What?  What in the world is Todiha?”

“You know . . . Tom, Dick and Harry . . . the first two letters of . . .”

So, the name of that gray, wooden boat forever would be ToDiHa, named after his three boys.  As in, “You want to go fishing in the ToDiHa?”

The ToDiHa had a few excursions before expiring.  Maybe it sank or was sold or became firewood, but it’s name has remained in the family and many times has come up at family gatherings.  A story and name worth remembering.

Fast forward about 55 years to 2015 and a gray, aluminum 16-foot Polar Craft, comfortably docked near The Cabin.  Definitely not constructed in an open carport, but desperately in need of a name.  MoDaTy, after our three children – Monica, Dalton and Tyler – just did not have the right ring to it; maybe even a hint of hip hop.  No way.  But, with five grandchildren back then and a sixth on the way, maybe  . . .

Let’s see, from oldest to youngest, there was Hunter, Austin, Trey, Neah and Kaisa with number six to be born in 2015.  Playing scramble the first letters of the five names, amazingly . . . T-H-A-N-K.  Which meant if we could get an “S” with grandchild number six, what better name for our fishing boat than “THANKS” – named in appreciation of our grandchildren?  Only one problem:  we needed an “S”.  Would the name of grandchild number six possibly, miraculously, start with an “S”?

Since this plan was in my warped mind only, I wondered if dropping very discreet hints might steer the name game in the direction of an “S”.  So, minding someone else’s business, I offered, “Since you know you’re having a girl, I really like the name Samantha.”  Moans and groans could be heard around the block.  I thought of Sharon and Sara and Sylvia and . . . but I knew, really, it was none of my business.  I would just have to take my chances.

Well, Annika was born in February of 2015, and my name game was done.

But all boats should have a name.  Maybe odd but meaningful.

THANKA is perfect for our boat.