A 28-foot sailboat named after a John Coltrane ballad was christened and launched on Saturday at the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven.

Naima, the sailboat’s name, is an Arabic woman’s name, said the new owner, Bill Ryan, of State College, Pa.

Mr. Ryan, a Penn State meteorologist, and his wife, Joan Richtsmeier, shared the launch with a handful of friends.

Woody Bowman of West Tisbury gave a blessing, and Mr. Ryan gave a speech of appreciation to those who participated in the design and building of the Nat Benjamin-designed sailboat. “Thank you all for your skill.

“You did what I could never dream of doing.”

Mr. Ryan comes from a sailing family. He said the idea of having a wooden boat for the Chesapeake waters arose three years ago, when he and his wife talked of eventually moving to the

eastern shore of Maryland.

Naima is a sister sailboat to an earlier Benjamin-designed sailboat called Celeste, built seven years ago at the same yard.

As Mr. Benjamin explains it, the design of Naima came out of a number conversations with the owner of the boat, but it all started with a sail. Mr. Ryan went out in a sail with others in Celeste and was delighted with her performance on the water on a breezy day. “They had a fabulous sail,” Mr. Benjamin said.

From there the ideas started passing back and forth between the two.

Mr. Benjamin said Naima is a perfect sailboat for someone wishing to go either for a day sail, or for a cruise of several days. The boat has two comfortable berths and a galley.

Naima, like Celeste, was first built upside down for ease in assembly and planking and then flipped over. She is a cruising vessel, with roomy accommodations.

Naima is Marconi-rigged, a rare variation from Mr. Benjamin’s other Island-made wooden boats, which usually are gaff-rigged. The triangle sail was the choice of the captain. He wanted more sail higher up, to give her quicker tacking power in light air in narrow places. The sailboat is built with a mix of tropical hardwoods, such as angelique and yellow heart, and domestic varieties, including black locust, white oak, and yellow pine. Her deck is marine plywood, resin and cloth, painted.

In quick fashion, Ms. Richtsmeier swung the canvas-wrapped bottle of champagne against the bow and the boat began rolling down what Mr. Benjamin called “the hill.”

The crowd of about 50 people applauded as Naima’s hull touched the water.

The boat will spend this summer in Vineyard waters. Her first big cruise will be late next week, to Mystic Seaport for the 19th annual Wooden Boat Show, where she will be exhibited. Next year, she will sail in Chesapeake waters.

As for Gannon and Bejamin, hopeful talks are underway for the possible building of another wooden sailboat at the yard.