Dr Jan-Claas Freienstein, 43, a linguist at the University of Augsburg, comes from Heiligenhafen, where his boat is moored. And it was there on the Baltic Sea that he came up with an idea - to research yacht names. We present this very interesting study and its results in the new issue of YACHT.
First of all, Dr Freienstein considers it "remarkable" that yachts have names at all. "The purpose of clear identification," he says, "can also be achieved with a number or letter system." In other words, a licence plate number like that of a car would suffice. So there must be more behind the naming of a boat - and in fact there is always a story behind it.
However, a name also fulfils a function: it elevates the series-produced sailing yacht to a unique product. It is the name that makes it unmistakable.
Now, such names are naturally subject to fashions. For example, Freienstein has discovered that, unlike in the past, wife names play a comparatively subordinate role today. In the new issue, the scientist explains why this is the case and which names are currently "in" and "out".
At the request of YACHT, the German Sailing Association has also searched its register - and identified a commonplace name as the most popular by far: "Albatros". In the current issue of YACHT, you can also find out why the unoriginal nature of such boat names can be an advantage.
