When we first bought the boat br My dad was focused on the rigging br The types and locations of winches and cleats br The sizes of the genoas and spinnakers br Making sure all halyards routed back to the cockpit br My attention was on coming up with a name br How about Clytemnestra? br I liked the sound of it br Like a bird taking flight from its nest br And more than a whiff of danger br My mother recoiled br Do you know who she was? br Might as well name it Darth Vader, she said. br My argument was that we should suggest something fearful br Like Iago or Billy the Kid br My mother laughed through her nose br And said other sailors would not be afraid br Of a boat named Iago. br br Naming a boat is like naming a band br Going through reams of names br Over breakfast, in the car, on the phone br Some proffered humorously in exhaustion br But my suggestion was serious br Clytemnestra br Maybe I shouldn’t have offered it right off the bat br Maybe waited until they were worn down by the rejections br They ended up naming her Gemini br My mom’s sign.