Let's talk some more about Team Red names. Response to Pick a Name was good -- lots of ideas.

Too cute: Redmund Fitzgerald, Red Zeppelin.

While some names are aspirational, some names are historical -- they show what the owner does when off the water or what the owner did to get all the money involved in boating. Patience and Thrift don't often get mentioned.

We've got a short list.

• Red Wings. Yes, plural. A configuration of sails is called "wing and wing". They often describe a boat under sail as "spreading her wings." The dinghy can be Red Tail. It hangs over the transom; there's some logic there. Also, there's no claim about the source of the money.

• Red Rover. The dinghy can be Red Rambler or Red Roamer. Similarly, no real claim about history, but a pretty big statement of aspirations.

• Ruby Slippers. We're not sure about the Dinghy name. But "Toto Too" sounds like fun. It's not that we love the Wizard of Oz. But "there's no place like home" and "you've always had the power...[you] just needed to learn it for [yourself]." This sounds like someone made some money in the entertainment industry.

• Red Line. The dinghy can be called Red Point. This sounds a bit like motor sports; with a sailboat that translates to yacht racing. But a Whitby is a tank, so, the racing thing isn't really there.

• Red Delicious. Interesting. The dinghy could be Macintosh. After all, we are die-hard Apple fans, and from upstate New York. It sounds like we made our money in agriculture or food service.

• Red Zone. On-again off-again entry. Sounds too much like a sports fan, or someone who made their money with the NFL or ESPN. Not sure what the dinghy's name would be. Red Line?

Checking Off Items

• Engine-Room Light. Done.

• Propane Locker wiring. Not actually an incorrect installation -- it wasn't using domestic wire nuts. So, effectively done.

• Bilge-pump wiring. Half-done. Parts are in.

• Galley sink drain. Half-done. Waiting for parts.

• Required Equipment: COLREGS, Bell, flares, cone, ball, trash management plan. On order. Parts of this make little sense. But rules are rules.

That's a good pair of weekends, I think.

The Required Equipment

COLREGS, Bell, flares, cone, ball, trash management plan. Seriously.

• The COLREGS make sense. You need a copy of the rules of the road.

• Flares kind of make sense. The minimal standard is "flares". As a practical matter, you want something more serious. Orion sells some heavy ordinance.

• The bell, while nearly useless, has to have a diameter of 300mm for a boat of this size; the ones sold in the US are often too small in spite of the federal rules. The boat came with a nice, but too-small bell.

• The ball is a black sphere: a day-sign that says the boat is anchored. I suppose this is handy. Bigger boats do this.

• The cone is required for sailboats proceeding under power (rule 25, part e) during daylight. No one actually uses it. But it's legally required by the insurance company.

• Waste management plan. What? Waste management plan? What's wrong with the MARPOL placard? Boats over 40' need a formal waste management plan. Okay.

There's a lot to learn.