Because windvanes are so valued and important to a cruising boat everyone gives them a a name.  I am naming mine Bob.  My real Bob is not going along with me, which is one of the great disappointments of my life, however I understand that he just does not want to face the vast spances of open ocean that we will be crossing.  However when I think about the characteristics of this wind vane, the fact that it will be the most valued member of the crew, that it is dependable and always there, that it never complains, that it is there for me regardless of storm or doldrums, through thick and thin, well, that is exactly the way that Bob has been to me for the past 27 years.  My Bob is also a superb helmsman, much better than I.  He is skilled at taking in all the sea state, wind, and other factors and steering the boat beautifully.  Therefore “Bob” is now the name of Astraea’s new windvane.