I am curious. As I read all the different post on the board I see many of us refer to our yachts by number and some by name. It is the name that I am curious about. How or why does your boat have the name the she is graced with.

In the case of "Pathfinder" she carries her handle respectfully in honor of a past streaking windjammer yawl. The original Pathfinder was a wooden yawl owned by a fellow by the name of Nino Nickoli (sp?). This wonderful boat would often sail out the San Francisco Bay channel before there was a Golden Gate Bridge and race for points up and down the west coast. Often she would carry a young fellow by the name of Ernie. The skipper, Nino, was to become the sailing mentor of Ernie Rideout.

As I have said in other post Ernie has been kind enough to pass on some of his knowledge to me over the years. There are times when I sit and listen to him and can see him reaching back into his eighty years on the water and recalling times of his younger years and crewing for Nino. I suspect that Ernie would try to take it all in from his mentor much the same way I focus on every word that Ernie shares with me.

So it is with a great appreciation and pride that Ariel #77 carries her name and I am sure the original Pathfinder skipper is watching over Ernie and I as we put the Ariel through her paces.

So what's in a name for your yacht? ......ed