It's Official: 'Boaty McBoatface' Wins

The UK has confirmed that we cannot have serious online polls dedicated to the serious task of obtaining the public's for-real opinion on the name of its serious new research vessel: Yes, Internet darling "Boaty McBoatface" has overwhelmingly won the Natural Environment Research Council's online poll, which closed Saturday night, to name its brand new $300 million Arctic survey ship, reports the Guardian. Boaty McBoatface, put forth by former BBC presenter James Hand as a joke, pulled in more than 124,000 votes—more than four times the second-place suggestion, which was the name of a little girl with incurable cancer.

But the deal is not yet done, notes the Guardian: NERC's CEO has the final say on the vessel's moniker. Worth noting: Hand himself voted for RRS David Attenborough, which came in fifth. Says Hand: "This is actually nothing to do with me. I made the suggestion but the storm that’s been created—it’s got legs of its own. I just feel it’s a very British thing, which a lot of people have pointed out." (Royal Caribbean, meanwhile, asked Hand for a, er, hand.)