meaning of Gerald's Boat, Nereid

Gerald's yacht, called Nereid, ironically represents all that is friendly at sea. Nereid is named for a Greek sea nymph, and these creatures were known to provide help to lost or endangered sailors. Gerald's yacht, until his tragic fall with Lulu, was his scared home, the vehicle that brought him to every necessary stop along the way to writing his book about Homer's Odyssey. But ironically, the Nereid's final journey could not be fixed by a friendly nymph, and the yacht is ultimately destroyed by its owner, due to the incomparable pain its final voyage caused him.