I volunteer for a summer baseball league on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Major League Baseball has prohibited us from using the name "Mariners" any further because the Seattle Mariners have the trademark rights (we have used the name since 1930, but as a charitable non-profit we never thought we'd have a problem using the name). We've been trying to come up with a new name associated with the seafaring heritage of the town (Harwich). Is there any reference source that could give us a wide selection of words associated with marine/nautical life, seafaring, navigation, the ocean, etc.? Many thanks. Bill M

welcome, Bill!

and silly MLB. don't they know it would only bring more recognition to the Seattle team? oy.

anyway, a quick google of "nautical terms" gave me these as a starter:

Nautical terms
and
Nautical terms
and
Nautical terms.

have fun!

probably should stay away from The Hawseholes!

Seamen probably wouldn't be good either...

(I would have thought that provable prior use would let you be exempted from the trademark rule but I suppose that takes time, money and lawyers.)
Harwich Harriers (sp?, like the fighter planes) but I suppose that might get mocked as hairiers.
Harwich Hounds - Go Seadogs?
Harwich Harpies - no this is softball not roller derby.
Corsairs?
Pirates?

Welcome aBoard, Bill. Cape Cod Whalers?

wofa might have some good suggestions.

Up South we have a team named the Dockers.

Sailing terms:
Yawl (in case you ever go South on tour)
Sloop
Mast
Spar
Sail
Keel
Ketch
Pequod
Harpoon

Lobstering et al:
Lobster (Is there already a New England Lobster team somewhere?)
Trap
Claw
Pincers
Clambake
Crust (short for "Crustaceae")

How about the "Cape Cod Bay"?
the Harwich Trade (to rhyme with Carriage Trade)

I actually like Sea Dogs for the name.

Sea dog is a seal . We call them so: zeehond.

Might run into the same problem. The Portland SeaDogs are a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. If it's MLB that's doing the complaining, they might extend their complaint to minor league teams.

The 'Harwich Navigators' .....?

That might work, since the erstwhile Norwich Navigators are now the Connecticut Defenders

Sheesh. And I only found out week before last that there are no more Houston Oilers. They tell me it's been so for ten years.

That sux.

How about Seafarers.

Or Salts.

It's not just Harwich, but, apparently it is just the Cape Cod League. At least according to this New York Times article.

It doesn't seem like it would take such a high-powered lawyer to point out that Harwich had the name first and that the Seattle team came into existence 31 years ago and they never got around to whining about trademark violation till now. Seems like there's some statute of limitations thing should kick in here. It's not like they never heard of the Cape Cod League till now. Here's a list of Cape Cod League alumni that have gone on to play in the Majors.

It does sound ridiculous - how can a team copyright such a generic name? Does this mean no one can name their local sporting team the bears or devils or tigers or any other name that happens to be used by some major well known team? Surely it's not legal.

There is an additional factor. MLB contributes to the various collegiate summer wooden-bat leagues. They want to be able to scout the players in the wooden-bat situation, which they can't do in the regular collegiate season since the colleges and universities play with metal bats. Even if a court decision came in against them, they could cut off or reduce those funds. They'd be cutting their own throats if they did that, however; the Cape Cod League is widely regarded as the premier summer collegiate league as witnessed by the list I linked to above.

it's totally stupid, and one of the reasons that I don't follow major sports at all anymore. too damn greedy, those people are.

Amen!