According to Greek mythology, Dione was the daughter of Oceanus (god of the oceans) and Tethys (the sea goddess). She was one of the 3000 Oceanids, a type of nymph. Nymphs, in Greek mythology, are the life spirits of nature and are always depicted as beautiful, young girls. The Oceanid nymphs, including Dione, are often portrayed joyfully frolicking and having fun in the waves of the sea. Seafarers believed that Oceanids protected them and seeing a nymph brought good luck… similar to how we feel about seeing dolphins!
Dione is also one of the most mysterious Greek goddesses. Some legends claim that she was the wife of Zeus (upper god) and thus the mother of Aphrodite (goddess of love). Others identify her as the goddess of oak trees, interpret her name as the feminine form of Zeus, or describe her as the ‘daughter of heaven and earth.’ However, it is generally accepted that Aphrodite was born from the foam of the ocean, and Dione may have played a role in that event.
The name of the boat, Dione IV, follows from the first Dione… Dione I, the 26-meter-long motor barge (a ‘Hagenaar’) on which Wim lived and sailed from 1982 to 1993. Wim’s second daughter is also named Dione, like the boat. When he purchased his next boat, a sailing yacht (a Shipman 28) in 1997, Wim planned to name her Dione II. However, his first daughter, Yara, with all the logic of a 6-year old, said that this wasn’t correct… her sister was actually Dione II. So that boat became Dione III and our lovely custom-designed and built sailing nymph became Dione IV!