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

[Capt Popeye]

I have a classic yacht, which is a sailing boat.

Ah but is it Sailed by Yachtsmen and Yachtswomen ? or Boatmen ?

 

[laika]

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

I will happily use "yacht" while channelling Tony Curtis playing Joe pretending to be Shell Oil Junior but the correct emphasis needs to be applied

 

[Capt Popeye]

Or even Royal Yacht or Motor Yacht...

Yachts are crewed by Yachtsmen and Women, wether powered by Motor or a Crew, like a Royal Yacht

 

[doug748]

............

With non-sailors "yacht" is slightly problematic, because for most of them the term now seems to mean "large, luxurious, and specifically extremely expensive motor vessel". Instead I tend to just say "boat", and if they exhibit any further curiosity I show them a photo on my phone.

Pete

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.

.

 

[Sealong]

But what is it about the word "Yacht" that appears so pretentious ? And I agree I tend to use it with some reservation.
However, for me it is an accurate description of a sailing vessel and acknowledges the etymological roots from Norwegian, German and Dutch.
By comparison, "Sailing boat" is a boring compound adjective with Orwellian connotations of newspeak.

 

[prv]

But what is it about the word "Yacht" that appears so pretentious ?

The fact that the media invariably pair it with the word "luxury", and mostly use it in relation to either businessmen they don't like or showbiz celebrities - and when most of those people are on the water they are on a £5 million Sunseeker in Cannes. And that's the only context in which the general public encounter the word.

You and I might say "go astern of that yacht" and be referring to a grubby 45-year-old Centaur with collapsing headlinings and sticky toilet hoses, but we only say that amongst ourselves. Dave and Freda from number 42 aren't there to hear it.

Pete

 

[mjcoon]

Yachts are crewed by Yachtsmen and Women, wether powered by Motor or a Crew, like a Royal Yacht

I suppose Cleopatra might have had a Royal Yacht powered by its crew...

 

[prv]

Also I suspect some UK based forumites picked sailing boat as the second best option as yacht or sailing yacht was not included

Because the question was specifically about "sailboat" versus "sailing boat".

Laika probably should have left off the "something else" option

Pete

 

[MarkCX]

Generally it’s just “boat” for me when referring to my own. The only exception is when someone asks what I’ve been up to after a weekend spent rummaging around in a damp bilge fixing something... in that case it’s an ironic “Relaxing on my yacht”

 

[JumbleDuck]

I will happily use "yacht" while channelling Tony Curtis playing Joe pretending to be Shell Oil Junior but the correct emphasis needs to be applied

Curiously enough I have to rewatch that this evening as it's this week's choice for an online children's film club I am running during lockdown.

 

[Babylon]

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'!

 

[prv]

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

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.

Pete

 

[NealB]

I'd agree with all of that.

Obviously of the particular choices in the poll I went with "sailing boat", but like others I'd tend to instead use "yacht" in context on the water or talking to fellow sailors. To me that means specifically "sailing boat with a cabin". "Sailing boat" would also cover dinghies and open keelboats.

With non-sailors "yacht" is slightly problematic, because for most of them the term now seems to mean "large, luxurious, and specifically extremely expensive motor vessel". Instead I tend to just say "boat", and if they exhibit any further curiosity I show them a photo on my phone.

Pete

Interesting!!

I've owned (sailing) boats since the mid-sixties, starting with dinghies (Heron, Graduate, N12, Solo), then a variety of cruisers.

Of course, I understand the meaning of 'yacht', but I don't think I've ever told anyone that I own one: if the other person is another sailor, I'd say "Moody 33" (or whatever), if a non-sailor I'd say "sailing boat".

 

[Frogmogman]

Saily mcsaily boat.

Yachty McYachtface

 

[RumPunch]

Overall , yes, sailing boat, but it's normally be more defined - yacht, dinghy, schooner etc

 

[Easticks28]

Locally they are either 'Broads yachts' or Sail boats, depending on design.

 

[eigerwand]

This is the yachting monthly forum? a magazine that conducts yacht tests?
When I learnt to read the Y in picture alphabets was always "Yacht" drawn as a triangular white sail.
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea refers to yachts three times on the first page

 

[johnalison]

'Sailboat' makes no more sense to me than 'sidewalk'. I assume that any British person using it is either very new to the business or watches far too many US TV programmes.

I like the word yacht but seldom use it. Things get complicated when talking to any of our Dutch friends who are inclined to refer to my boat as a 'ship'. English, of course, has a multiplicity of alternative words, including vessel and craft, or even sloop, so we are free to choose which is best for the situation. Don't get me started on 'rail station'.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I generally refer to my sailing boat as such and my motor boat a uch or MOBO for short.

This is what I found as the difference between Yacht and boat

A yacht is a larger, recreational boat or ship. The word “Yacht” comes from Dutch origin and was originally defined as a light, and fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to find and capture pirates. A boat, on the other hand, is smaller in size and can be anything from a fisherman's boat to a sailboat/Sailing boat.

 

[Jonny A]

If it belongs to someone else it's a boat or, if it deserves it, a yacht (or perhaps to distinguish it from a motor boat).

Mine is only ever 'the boat'.