The laws of physics keep most boats from moving very fast, which adds to their grace. It also causes people to forge a deeper relationship with them than they do with a car or a plane, both because they spend so much more time on a boat, and because it carries them through dangerous realms they could not cross alone. To those who ride on them, boats have personalities. They have names. You don't see very many cars with names.
Some boats have names that form the basis of legends.
And some are remembered because of class, elegance, beauty and grace. I took my children to see one such boat last weekend. The Delta Queen. I've seen the Delta Queen on several occasions throughout my life. I saw it at the Tall Stacks Festival in Cincinnati once, and at the Great Steamboat Race in Louisville a couple of times.