There is a long list of things that bring bad luck to a boat. When Bruce was fishing in Alaska, the coffee mugs always had to hang on their hooks facing inboard so all the luck wouldn't pour overboard. It's considered unlucky to leave port on a Friday though we've done this numerous times with no ill affect (so far). It is also unlucky to change a boat's name and we've mostly heeded this caveat.

Bruce's first boat, a 50 year old schooner, was named ANADA in the Norwegian tradition of naming a boat after a much loved female family member. His next schooner was ACTIVE, and had been owned by a spry and salty older gentleman. Both names fit.

The first boat Bruce and I owned together was a 60 foot 'go fast' catamaran named Tsje Tsja. It was designed and built by a South African and TSJE TSJA was Zulu for 'go fast'. But we didn't know how to pronounce it. We bought the boat for day chartering in the Virgin Islands so we needed a name that guests could easily identify. How could they call to make a reservation to go sailing if they couldn't pronounce the name?

Bruce had made a trip to Florida to check out TSJE TSJA and on his way home picked up the new Jimmy Buffet children's book, JOLLY MON, for our kids aged 1 and 3. We ended up buying the boat and decided to rechristen her JOLLY MON. Contrary to superstition, JOLLY MON brought us good luck and many great memories.

We traded in JOLLY MON for a cruising catarmaran named ADRENILIN that we bought in Spain. Was it coincidence that we kept acquiring boats that began with the letter 'A'.? Apparently not. Our next boat, which we bought in 2007 so that we could resume our chartering career was named AMARYLLIS.

We were familiar with the flower AMARYLLIS. Bulbs are sold in grocery stores and hardware stores throughout the US in November and grown indoors providing large red or white blossoms to liven up the winter months. So it seemed a fortuitous name for a Caribbean charter boat that would provide a much needed break for vacationers escaping the chilly northern latitudes.

Unfortunately not so many people were as familiar with the flower, AMARYLLIS, as we were. One close family member (who shall remain unnamed to protect the guilty) asked if our boat was named after a town in Texas. The staff at American Yacht Harbor in St. Thomas would always call out a cheerful "A-MARY-ELLIS!" when we pulled into port. Cruising through the islands we found it difficult to explain and spell out the name in various foreign ports. Bruce suggested we name our next boat 'BOB'.

Our next (and current) boat is a Davidson 44 named PACIFIC COAST HWY. The owners had both been California surfers and had opened a surf/ski shop in Hermosa Beach in the early 70's. Highway 1, the scenic highway that follows the California coastline, is called Pacific Coast Hwy in the Los Angeles area - PCH for short. It was an appropriate name for a boat that has cruised the Southern California Coast since 1990, but a tad long for our taste. I proposed changing the name to PCH, something easy to write on customs and immigration forms. But Bruce thought that sounded too much like a designer drug. We decided to shorten the name by taking the 'Coast' since the boat would finally be leaving the California coast and heading offshore. Hence, PACIFIC HWY. Here in California, the name is instantly recognized.

I'm sure that once we get away from the US, the name of our boat will become a cipher. I can already picture non-Americans sounding out the name phonetically and asking, Pacific Why? And our reply: HWhy not!

We leave San Diego and head south on Monday. My intention for this blog is to chronical our travels on Pacific Hwy, so let the travelling begin.

Thanks for joining us!