Weekend special: memorable boat names

MV Mental Services

Imagine the VHF calls! “This IS M/V Emergency Mental Services. How can we be of help?” This beaut is the yard boat of the very good humored Westerly Marina in Ossining, NY, seen on my Hudson cruise last fall. On closer inspection you’ll see that Marine Response Unit No. 10 probably once worked at Emergency Enviromental Services. Meanwhile, up the river in Newburgh, is a boat I would not like to vocalize on the radio. Just too stupid:

Ship Happens



Ben Ellison

Ben Ellison

Panbo editor, publisher & chief bottlewasher from 4/2005 until 8/2018, and now pleased to have Ben Stein as a very able publisher, webmaster, and editing colleague. Please don't regard him as an "expert"; he's getting quite old and thinks that "fadiddling fumble-putz" is a more accurate description.

5 Responses

  1. Ron Rogers says:

    In Annapolis there is a racing sailboatr named “Polly Wanna Cracker”! Try to get a serious response saying “MAYDAY MAYDAY this is Polly Wanna Cracker.”

  2. Walter Guinon says:

    Never Again II

  3. Noel Sterrett says:

    There is also a “Ship Happens” in Marina Del Rey, CA, with a dingy named “Piece of Ship”.

  4. Dan Nicholson says:

    Seen on consecutive narrowboats on canals here in England………….”HOOF HEARTED” “SHYTALK”. Love it! Dan

  5. Michael Neville says:

    When I was sailing E-Scows in Wisconsin back in the 1970s there was one boat with “HELP” painted upside down on the transom.

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