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

[Sticky Fingers]

Yacht (or dinghy, keelboat, gaffer etc as appropriate).

 

[john_morris_uk]

Yacht (or dinghy, keelboat, gaffer etc as appropriate).

Exactly.

 

[elton]

It fits the Cambridge English Dictionary definition of yacht, so yacht it is.

 

[prv]

It's perfectly valid and obviously we understand it. I am merely suggesting that *use* of it by a British person sounds weird and when used by a journalist in a British newspaper screams "I know nothing about what I'm writing about and my single source is american".

I'm essentially asserting that "sailboat" is an americanism which is entering British English via youtube and wanting to see if others concur.

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

 

[atol]

WAFI..........in the merchant navy...

 

[Babylon]

<-------- yacht

 

[Babylon]

"Hi, how are you?" [mind your own business]
"Have a nice day" [you, personally, don't give a damn]
"Can I get a Latte Macchiato with skinny milk? [the polite construction is "May I please have..." or "Please can I have..."]
"Can I get a single-shot Americano?" [tempting...!]

 

[Tomahawk]

Square rigger
Barque
Clipper
Schooner
Dingy
Yacht
Tri
Catamaran..... that being the best

 

[Wansworth]

Yacht or dutch equivalent is a boat for pleasure.

 

[laika]

I'm essentially asserting that "sailboat" is an americanism which is entering British English via youtube and wanting to see if others concur.

Yes yes lots of people like the word "yacht" but the poll is really about the use of the term "sailboat". Having this poll public does allow me to note that 50% of the current votes for "sailboat" come from forumites based in Canada.

 

[jordanbasset]

Yes yes lots of people like the word "yacht" but the poll is really about the use of the term "sailboat". Having this poll public does allow me to note that 50% of the current votes for "sailboat" come from forumites based in Canada.

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

 

[Easticks28]

Yacht

Or dinghy. Depends on the size. But it must use wind for its primary mode of propulsion.

 

[mjcoon]

I don't mind 'sailboat'. We don't say 'motoring cycle'.
But 'Frypan' is Just Wrong.

I suppose there might be a subtle distinction I've not thought of before: autonomy. Frying or sailing can carry on without the human (at least for a while!). Whereas motorcycle is descriptive of the device; motoring cycle would be accurate only if it did it on its own...

(I'm not going to defend "motoring car", though!)

 

[Stemar]

Depends on the situation. Most of the time "the boat". "Bloody old tub" when she's misbehaving or costing me money. Just once, "yacht". Milady used to tutor French and one rather snobby mother said "We went to St Tropez for the weekend, what did you do?" "Oh, we sailed to Cowes on my husband's yacht". End of oneupwomwnship.

 

[Quandary]

We call ours the boat when talking to sailors or a yacht if in conversation with landlubbers, I do not like 'sailboat' but even worse is when we are collectively addressed as 'boaters'.

 

[Sealong]

Windsurfer !

 

[scruff]

Sometimes just "boat" (can't have my boss thinking I'm paid too much!) but mostly "Yacht". As for "Sailboat" - nope, never. A horrible Americanism however fully appreciate language is constantly evolving...

 

[JumbleDuck]

Yacht

Sailing yacht

Why not yacht?

Yacht or dinghy, depending on size.

Yacht (or dinghy, keelboat, gaffer etc as appropriate).

Yacht or dutch equivalent is a boat for pleasure.

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.

 

[Easticks28]

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

Couldn't agree more !

 

[Easticks28]

WAFI..........in the merchant navy...

And the other sort are known as a DAFI on the Norfolk Broads.