About a year from now, some clever Virgin Islander may wander up the gangway of the newest St. John-St. Thomas ferry with an extra twinkle in their eye and warm secret in their heart. Or maybe they’ll blurt out to anyone who’ll listen, pointing frantically at the hull: “See that name? I did that! That was my idea!”
Bashful or boastful, time is running out on a chance to name the boat currently under construction on the mainland. Although it likely won’t start carrying passengers until April 2025, the contest to name the new boat ends Friday. That’s this Friday, March 22.
With next to no rules for acceptable names — aside from U.S. Coast Guard regulations and common decency — the only way to ensure your idea is not considered is to fail to send it to DPWPIO@DPW.VI.GOV before Friday.
As of midday Monday, Public Works had received roughly 150 name suggestions by email, said Markida Scotland, the department’s public information officer. Some were fanciful, like those suggested in the Source’s first article on the contest. Others were mundane.
“Common names like The Island Hopper, The Patriot, Wave Runner, Love City I, and Charlotte Amalie I are the ones with multiple suggestions. Boaty McBoatface and Ferry McFerryFace have predictably appeared as well,” she said.
Public Works Department Commissioner Derek Gabriel said he hoped the name would inspire pride and represent the best of what both islands have to offer.
One Source reader suggested the name Queen Breffu 1733. Breffu — leader of the St. John slave revolt, a bold and bloody rebellion that broke the bonds of enslaved Africans and the bones of their former slavers — certainly checks the historical and V.I.-pride boxes. It’s a heavy name. The ferries between St. Thomas and St. John are school buses and tourist transports, so the chance to teach with the name could be a winner. No one will know if it isn’t sent to DPWPIO@DPW.VI.GOV by Friday.
Other teaching names might be Seven Flags or Ursula or or Quadrille Cruiser or Petroglyph Express — or back to the slave revolt, Akwamu.
Whatever the name is, it needs to be in by Friday. Posting a cute, inspiring, silly, sunny, historical, hopeful, hysterical, high-minded or low-brow name on social media won’t get it on the side of the new boat. The idea has to be sent to DPWPIO@DPW.VI.GOV.
