What's in a name?
Image from York Civic Trust
Our new boat will be named after the famous street in York (UK) called Whip-ma-whap-ma-gate. Over the years there have been many suggestions to the origins of this name, but one of the more credible suggestions is a Middle English derivation meaning "neither one thing nor the other". The first recorded name in 1505 was Whitnourwhatnourgate,
Although largely in the style/format of a narrowboat, our boat is 9' (foot) wide, so it cannot navigate on the 'narrow' parts of the UK canal system which have a nominal width of 7'. Yet it can hardly be described as a widebeam, which are generally in the region of 10' 6" to 14'. Hence our adoption of the name, it also being a nod to our city of residence for 33 years.
Furthermore, the boat will be powered by a hybrid diesel-electric power train with a large number of solar panels to provide quiet and clean cruising whenever possible, but allowing for extra power when required to cruise on rivers or for longer periods. Again, a "neither one thing nor the other" compromise, that we feel is the best solution currently for our needs.