Origin of the name

Mercedes isn't named after a car!  Mercedes is the name of the fiancee of Edmond Dantes in Alexandre Dumas's classic novel "The Count of Monte Cristo."  One of Karen's and my favorite books, it's a powerful story of loyalty, commitment, vengeance, perseverance, and forgiveness.  It's the source of her nickname - Mercedes (and mine - Cristo), and inspired the name of the sailboat.  

Some notable quotations from the book:

• "One's work may be finished someday, but one's education never."
• "Moral wounds have this peculiarity - they may be hidden, but they never close, always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart."
• Abbe Faria: "Here is your final lesson - do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence. God said, Vengeance is mine."
  Edmond Dantes: "I don't believe in God."
  Abbe Faria: "It doesn't matter. He believes in you."
• Fernand Mondego: "What happened to your mercy?"
  Edmond Dantes: "I'm a count, not a saint."