"British English" speakers: What do you call a boat propelled by sails?

[Refueler]

All depends who I'm talking to ...

If its some *anker who thinks sun shines out of his *** ... then I have a Yacht. Usually shuts them up.

If its another sail orientated boater - its a Motor Sailer - that also usually ends the chat !!

If its a Mobo owner - then its a sailing boat - that also usually ends the conversation.

To any other in just general chat - its a boat.

 

[JumbleDuck]

"Bloody bastarding money-sucking time vampire" works for me. Sometimes. For quite a lot of the time I like her.

 

[laika]

So we know, but it seems that Laika is having an argument somewhere else where that fact's disputed . Hence setting up this poll to gather evidence.

Definitely not an "argument" in any way, but it did come up as part of a discussion on liveaboard link: Liveaboard Sailboat Advice

I don't feel comfortable asking people to take my word for something without citing a reference and I had no such reference to hand so everyone is helping, thanks

This isn't the first recent thread by new sailors to use "sailboat" and I strongly suspect that youtube is having an influence. I'm not complaining about that at all, just making an observation.

Re: "motoring cycle": Another example might be "motorboat" which is not a "motoring boat" because it's not a "boat for motoring". "walking boots", "running shoes", gardening gloves" all sound ok because they're boots for walking, shoes for running and gloves for gardening. "sailing boat" is a boat for sailing so is also fine. You could argue this from another angle that "sailboat" is fine because it's a "boat with a sail" whereas a walking boot is not a boot with walk and a gardening glove is not a glove with a garden. I don't say either are incorrect but it's good to be confirming that "sailing boat" is indeed the preferred term in the UK.

 

[Refueler]

USA has a lot to answer for in the English Language.

Television ... especially the amount of US produced serials and movies ............ Computers with Bill Gates Dictionary ! ...

The English Language is being destroyed day by day .... but if you really want to see the English Language at work :

That is not a photoshop .. that is a real sign just outside Port Harcourt ...

 

[Babylon]

That's actually more literate than most of the cr@p people write on YouTube...

 

[Refueler]

That's actually more literate than most of the cr@p people write on YouTube...

I wonder sometimes on forums like this as well .... some posts I have to try and imagine what poster was thinking when he let his fingers punch out the words !! I know at times my fat fingers hit wrong key ... but !!

 

[RobbieW]

Mind you "motor yacht" is even worse and should only be used by people channeling Terry-Thomas playing a cad.

He tried to run me down in San Antonio, early 70s, when out in pedalo with the girlfriend of the time. Him in a speedboat

 

[RobbieW]

Yep. Only a rotter would say: "I'm off for a few days on the Yacht" or "The effin heads are blocked again on my Yacht"

Far too pretentious and gives people totally the wrong idea; when they turn up with telescopes and white trousers for a weekend on your Hurley Silhouette.

.

Shades of 'Riddle of the Sands' there

 

[Elessar]

Best one for that has to be a rib boat ?

Like a PIN number.

 

[Refueler]

Shades of 'Riddle of the Sands' there

Oh Jenny !!

 

[Tintin]

I don't have a copy of Peter Heaton's "Sailing" to hand, but as I recall his definition of "yacht" was "a boat, when being described to someone who will never see it". It sounds insufferably pretentious to me, and I never, ever describe my boat as a yacht.

Mind you "motor yacht" is even worse and should only be used by people channeling Terry-Thomas playing a cad.

Am more than happy to be considered "insufferably pretentious" by you Jumbly ??

 

[Rappey]

Living near a navy port the guys on ships were sailors. We were yachtsmen.
Nowadays I hear the word sailors used to describe yachtsmen.
Years ago a yacht to me meant a sailing boat. Now words as ship ,vessel, yacht can be anything ?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Oh Jenny !!

Walkabout. I leave it there.

 

[prv]

That's actually more literate than most of the cr@p people write on YouTube...

Indeed - I think the typography makes it look worse than it is. Insert two letters and one small word and you get:

Public Notice: This property belongs to the people of Nigeria. It is not up for grabs nor for [asset] strippers / cronies to acquire under the guise of value addition. Please keep off.​

​

That’s perfectly good English, especially if we assume that “value addition” is a known term in Nigeria for some particular variety of corruption.

Pete

 

[alan_d]

Let's face it, the original question was posted because 'sailboat' is an alien expression to British sailors.

If there were as many YouTube videos about plumbing as there are about sailing, half the UK population would already be calling taps 'faucets'!

Indeed, although I see that upmarket British bathroom suppliers use "faucet" in their catalogue to refer to what I would call the "spout" of their fancier and less practical taps. My daughter (who now lives in California) is amused that there you ask for "tap water" in a restaurant if you want the stuff that comes out of the faucet.

 

[Refueler]

Indeed, although I see that upmarket British bathroom suppliers use "faucet" in their catalogue to refer to what I would call the "spout" of their fancier and less practical taps. My daughter (who now lives in California) is amused that there you ask for "tap water" in a restaurant if you want the stuff that comes out of the faucet.

I'm 64yrs old and since young have known the word 'faucet' .... not a generally used term I agree - but it is not a USA import to UK language.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Indeed, although I see that upmarket British bathroom suppliers use "faucet" in their catalogue to refer to what I would call the "spout" of their fancier and less practical taps. My daughter (who now lives in California) is amused that there you ask for "tap water" in a restaurant if you want the stuff that comes out of the faucet.

I am told that "faucet" was promoted in America during a prudish phase of the 19th century as a replacement for the horribly vulgar "cock"

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Oh no, we are straying into "gay" territory now!

 

[laika]

With (presumably) most of the votes now in, discounting the "other" votes the scores, rounded to the nearest percent are:
Sailboat: 3%
Sailing Boat: 91%
Both equally: 6%

I think this confirms that "Sailing Boat" is preferred to "Sailboat" by British English speakers.

 

[Tomahawk]

Walkabout. I leave it there.

In your dreams..
and you are showing your age.