We have a name! I mean, Ioanna and I obviously already did, but now the sandolo has officially a name, too.
Last year, I was reading a book on boatbuilding (not that I read much else lately). I’m not quite sure if it was “From Tree to Sea” by Ted Frost https://openlibrary.org/books/OL22307584M/From_Tree_to_Sea or “How to Build a Wooden Boat”, by Bud McIntosh https://www.woodenboatstore.com/products/how-to-build-a-wooden-boat). Both are very much recommended, by the way.
Anyhow, the author wrote that one should avoid to pronounce the name of a boat before she’s launched, since the evil spirits would be able to follow her in her voyages, or something like that. But luckily enough for us, bad spirits can’t read apparently. So there is no problem in writing the name of a boat before she’s launched.
Therefore I’m happy to announce that our little sandolo will be called “Laguna”.
“Laguna” means “lagoon” in Italian. The lagoon of Venice is justly famous for its beauty and is actually part of the UNESCO site comprehending the city of Venice: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394
It is because of its being build in such a place that Venice became the maritime power that we know. And it is because of its being surrounded by water that Venice developed so many different kinds of boats.
Specifically, if you remember from my previous posts, the sandolo s’ciopon was used in the past especially for hunting out of the city, in the lagoon.
© Graziano Arici Archives, Venice.
But I also wanted the name to reflect the fact that the boat is going to be built in the Basque Country. For a fortuitous event, “laguna” also means “friend” in Euskara (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_language).
What better name to seal the friendship between Venice and Pasaia (home to Albaola) that this projects wants to symbolize?
Naming a boat is probably the most difficult thing to do, after naming your child, but I think we did good here. See you soon, Laguna!
