Naming a ferry, it turns out, is a lot like owning a boat.
The process sounds fun over beers, but at some point you’ll be scraping barnacles off the bottom, poring over a byzantine owners manual and fretting about how much your investment might depreciate in value. Last month, we asked for your help to name five new electric San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels joining the fleet over the next few years. You crushed the assignment. Readers submitted more than 1,500 names, which we labored mightily to narrow down to a short list of finalists. (The barnacles in the above metaphor are the 50-plus suggestions for some variation of “Boaty McBoatface.” It’s. Been. Done.)
- Vote:What should we name five new ferry boats?
The 27 names that made the cut reflect the beauty, diversity and creativity of the Bay Area. From “Humphrey” to “Hyphy” to “Rosie” to “Ride the Lightning” (punctuate that last one with a Kirk Hammett guitar solo), the finalists nod to our history, culture, environment and local celebrities — of the human and cetacean variety.
The next step is voting for your favorites in the poll released today. Choose carefully: Some San Francisco Bay Ferry vessels remain on the water for more than 30 years…