Outdoors Girl: What name floats your boat? - Maryland parks and outdoors: Life in Maryland’s great outdoors by Candy Thomson

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May 11, 2011

What name floats your boat?

Since 1991, BoatUS, the Triple A of the nautical world, has been compiling annual lists of the most popular names people give their vessels. The database now tops 8,500.

Sometimes the list reflects the times. After 9/11, patriotic names were in. Movie subjects (think, Black Pearl, Endless Summer and Seabiscuit) translate well. Aquaholic has appeared eight of the last 10 years and Serenity has made the Top 10 in 15 of 20 years. After making the list for almost a decade, Obsession stopped being one in 2000.

This year marks the first time that two names are non-English: Andiamo (let's go) and La Belle Vita (the beautiful life). Alas, no really clever ones (A License to Chill, 2005).

So, what names made the grade? Drum roll, please:

1) AquaHolic

2) Andiamo

3) The Black Pearl

4) La Belle Vita

5) Mojo

6) Island Time

7) Second Wind

8) No Worries

9) Serenity

10) Blue Moon

Posted by Candus Thomson at 7:00 AM | Permalink

About Candus Thomson

In a world of paper vs. plastic and candy mint vs. breath mint, my early memories involved a debate about the merits of freshwater vs. saltwater.

On the one hand, a great uncle’s fishing cabin on the Susquehanna River beckoned, but so did family gatherings on the Jersey Shore.

The correct answer, thankfully, was, “both.”

As The Sun’s outdoors writer for more than a decade, I’ve fished across Maryland in one day, hiked the width of the state in one hour, camped overnight in the median of I-95 to experience the wildlife between the fast lanes and chased mountain bikers in a 24-hour marathon race.

Those are some of the highlights. I’ve also fallen in a raging Gunpowder River during a trout survey (photo available upon request), had a shark spill its guts on my clothes and been stuck in a sub-freezing Vermont wilderness with men armed with flintlocks and hatchets, shuffling along on ancient wooden snowshoes.

And, in my travels I’ve met lots of you, who share a love of the outdoors and the good times and mishaps that go along with it.

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