Give Me Liberty or Give Me a Boat

Perhaps this news item caught my attention when I opened my International Boat Industry newsletter Tuesday because it was the 5th anniversary of 9/11, and the headline of the story included the word "Liberty."

And then, my memory was jogged of all the patriotism that surfaced following 9/11, all across the USA. You remember... it was a year of inspirational songs, high-flying flags, and, of course, a plethora of patriotic boat names. In fact, of the top ten boat names chosen in 2002, number one and number two were "Liberty" and "Victory," respectively.

The actual story from IBI was about Burger Boat Company launching a 101 foot (31m) yacht that they are calling "Liberty" (pictured to your left). She looks like a fine yacht, but all I could think about is how Burger seems like a smart marketing company for getting IBI to write a story about a boat named "Liberty" on a date that makes most Americans want to fight for just that.