Name & memories

My grandparents bought their first boat, a wooden Pirate dinghy, in 1947. They named it De Gæ Nok, ‘it will be OK’ in their Southern Jutland dialect, and would go on to have several De Gæ Noks in their over 50 years of sailing together and creating nautical memories with the entire family. My grandad was known as Peder De Gæ Nok in ports across the country. Wherever we go with the current De Gæ Nok, we often meet confused and curious sailors on jetties who want to know how and why we picked that name. When we explain that my mum is Peder’s daughter, they all light up in a smile and nod understandingly. When we bought this boat last year, my dad asked my grandma if we could carry on the name. She said yes, and at 92 she still loves to jump aboard for an afternoon trip.