The Origin and Meaning of "BALERA"
After some negotiation, I became the proud owner of the then unnamed 1997 Caliber 35 LRC hull number 3593 on December 6, 2007.
I managed to round up 2 friends without sailing experience and 1 firefighter with some delivery experience to help me move my new treasure from Yorktown, Virginia to Deale, Maryland the following week on December 15. That would allow me to winterize her and keep her near me during the winter before I started fitting her out in the spring.
We left later than planned and although legal, the boat had very limited instruments. We got out of the York River after dark, it was freezing cold, and the winds were increasing. We rotated 3 hour watches and kept an alcohol heater in a milk crate below to thaw out between watches.
We had issues with the in mast furling main which I later learned was due to the age of the sail and my inexperience with in mast furling sails. The dark hour and wind and cold did not help. So we ran the little Yanmar 3GM30F diesel for the 19 hour run.
When we arrived in Deale (Herrington Harbor), we all felt like we had accomplished something. But also, I could not help feeling how strong the boat felt and that led to her new name. The confidence I have had in Balera has only grown stronger during the 17 years that I have owned her.
Later, I was able to take another helpful crew/friend, Jim B. out on Balera on a nice weather day!
BALERA*
Origin: Latin
Sex: Female
Unisex Name? No
Meaning: Strong.
Soul Urge: People with the name Balera have a deep inner need for quiet, and a desire to understand and analyze the world they live in, and to learn the deeper truths.
Expression: People with the name Balera tend to be creative and excellent at expressing themselves. They are drawn to the arts, and often enjoy life immensely. They are often the center of attention, and enjoy careers that put them in the limelight. They tend to become involved in many different activities, and are sometimes reckless with both their energies and with money.
* https://www.allbabynames.com/BabyName/Latin/Balera.aspx
I later learned that BALERA is also used as a trademark for a ballroom dancing school and for dancewear. So the name fits for those meanings too considering that Balera does do a bit of dancing while cutting through the waves!
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