The Name Manna

As you may have read in Manna Crew, this is our fourth boat and the first where we chose the name.  The first boat never had a name, it was a power boat after all!  Just kidding do not send the hate mail.  By the way "What do you call a sailboat in the Puget Sound?  A powerboat!".  Those in the NW know if you have a destination and limited days off you have to motor to get there.

I digress.  The Name.  Our first sailboat was named Makai.  It was a Polynesian name and means "To the sea".  It was a great name and we did not even think about renaming her!

Our next boat had the name Consort.  I will be honest, although we loved the boat we were not fond of the name.  Whenever someone asked us about the name of the boat we had to explain, "the boat is not our mistress" and "we did not chose the name", almost apologetically.  We then explained the nautical terminology for the name Consort.  According to the Oxford Dictionary a second meaning (after companion) was "A ship sailing in company with another".  The story passed down from the original owner who named the boat, was the boat was named in reference to the NW Orca whales and the tight companionship the pod had with each other.

Easy to Read, Hard to Explain!

We only considered renaming Consort for a short period.  The name had been on the stern since the boat was new and as anyone around marinas have seen, once you peel off a name it is permanently faded into the gelcoat.  Unless you cover the whole thing up with a new decal or repaint the topsides, it will forever have the previous name.  We did not have a desire to do either so, with explanation ready at hand, we kept the name.

This brings us to our current boat Manna.  When we purchased Manna, we were happy to see there was not a name on the stern and the boat had not been previously documented, so we were free to name the boat ourselves!  This required some quick thought as the name had to be part of the U.S. Coast Guard Documented Vessel process we were pursuing.

Before I get into why we choose the name Manna, a few logistics of choosing a name for a vessel (boat).  There are some key things to consider when choosing a name:

1. Safety.  The name should be short and easily pronounced and understood over the radio.  Whenever you hail (call) the local Coast Guard or someone else on the VHF radio you provide the name of your vessel.  So a name short and easily pronounced and understood is a good thing to consider when seeking help!



Coast Guard - "Can you please spell that?"



2. Friendship.  When someone hails you over the radio they repeat the name of your vessel three times, so it is a very considerate thing to make sure the name of your vessel is easy to pronounce and a name they will want to call out three times!  Otherwise no one will ever want to call you...well maybe not...but still something to consider.





Definitely creates complex friendships

3. Mechanics.  When federally documenting a vessel with the U.S. Coast Guard , the name and hailing port must be marked together on some clearly visible exterior part of the hull (typically the stern). All markings must be at least four inches in height.  So a short vessel name allows for easier to read larger letters to be placed on the stern of the boat.



Huh?

4. Uniqueness.  Having a unique name that is recognizable and pronounceable is tricky.  You do not want a name no one has ever heard of and cannot be pronounced correctly... like some children's names out there!  Having to correct pronunciation and spell out the name of your boat to those you are trying to communicate with over the VHF adds repeated challenges that will haunt you wherever you go. 



I am sure I would pronounce it wrong

• Adversely, you do not want a name that is so overused that when hailed over the radio, multiple people answer all at once!



#1 Boat Name of 2016 according to Boat U.S.

5. Meaning.  Lastly and equally as important the name should have inspirational meaning.  You do not want to start off explaining the name of your vessel apologetically!  The name of your vessel represents the owners as much as the boat itself.

May have a hard time explaining in some parts of the world

This brings us to why we chose the name Manna.  In consideration of the five items above, only the fifth item needs further explanation.  Manna was the daily provisioning by God to the Israelites while they wondered in the wilderness for 40 years (Bible, Exodus chapter 16).  It could not be stored up, it had to be gathered each morning.  Any extra Manna left at the end of the day rotted overnight.  The name is inspirational to us for two reasons.

First, a common theme of cruisers is "plans are written in the sand of the seashore".  Each day brings new opportunities and new challenges.  We look to God's providence daily throughout our journey in life and even more so in our journey through the world's oceans.  Each day's plans are subject to many factors that are out of the control of us as cruisers.  Cruising requires daily decisions and work, just like the gathering of the manna required daily decision and work by the Israelites.

Second, like many cruisers we believe we are part of a community that shares what we have with those we are amongst.  Our community may be other cruisers or locals we meet along the way.  Just like God provides for us daily, directly or through others, we want to give back to our community.  This may include provisions, but more likely time, tools, and talent!  Some needs we can anticipate, but most will become apparent each and every day and we want to be open to those opportunities.

We also believe God works through others to provide our needs daily.  So we do not see ourselves as only providing, but also receiving.  Locals often provide much more than us in ways of "community".  They provide great local knowledge, culture, and history, as well as teach us important facets of community life that we have lost along the way.  We are keenly aware "stuff" is not the measure of happiness and wealth, instead richness of life is defined by culture, family, and community, that have no borders.