IT'S A YACHT, NOT A SAILBOAT !

[mikegunn]

I don’t get too hung up about the use of Americanisms, but as a preference will usually refer to my boat as a “sailing vessel” . This can be abbreviated to S/V on documents.

Mike

 

[newtothis]

bouy, pronounced boo-ey, is wrong. It is spelt buoy, and pronounced 'boy'.

An American commercial port harbour master told me he much preferred telling friends that he was going out at night to pick up boo-ies.

 

[sfellows]

I was told, growing up, that in the UK a Yacht (the boat with a mast and Sails) was called a "boat":

e.g "We're going to the boat this weekend"

A boat (a boat without the mast and sails) was called a "yacht"

e.g "I'm taking my yacht to Monaco this year".

Hope that's all clear.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I regularly use parking, I think due to years on the canal where it is all a little less dramatic

I also think that "driver error" is ok when you try to park but it all goes wrong. Some might use looser term like "idiot". ?

 

[Frogmogman]

I claim Godwin.

Richard

Denied.

To claim Godwin, either Hitler or the Nazis need to have been invoked.

 

[Daydream believer]

If you can afford to employ a full-time stripper, you're a luckier man than me.

Oh I dunno. I reckon i could afford a really good one.??
But only on the basis, that at my age & state of health I would be dead within a week so would not need much money.?

 

[Kukri]

I was told, growing up, that in the UK a Yacht (the boat with a mast and Sails) was called a "boat":

e.g "We're going to the boat this weekend"

A boat (a boat without the mast and sails) was called a "yacht"

e.g "I'm taking my yacht to Monaco this year".

Hope that's all clear.

Exactly. That is what I was brought up to understand.

 

[newtothis]

Exactly. That is what I was brought up to understand.

Now do ships and boats ?

 

[Caraway]

Goodness. How prissy does sailing-boat sound?

"Do you have a boat?"

"Yes, I have a sail boat." Statement of fact.
"Yes, I have a sailing boat." (I use it for sailing, don't y' know.)
"Yes, I have a yacht." Delusions of grandeur

 

[xyachtdave]

How do I change my forum ID to xsailboatdave?

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I was told, growing up, that in the UK a Yacht (the boat with a mast and Sails) was called a "boat":

e.g "We're going to the boat this weekend"

A boat (a boat without the mast and sails) was called a "yacht"

e.g "I'm taking my yacht to Monaco this year".

Hope that's all clear.

Surely a boat without a mast or sails is a submarine ?

 

[JumbleDuck]

bouy, pronounced boo-ey, is wrong. It is spelt buoy, and pronounced 'boy'.

...this, (as far as I can tell) is just ingrained, self-contented illiteracy. I wonder how they pronounce their spelling of 'buoyancy'?

They are righter than we are in their pronunciation of "buoy" since theirs is closer to the original Dutch "boei". But I wonder about "buoyancy" too ...

 

[JumbleDuck]

Surely a boat without a mast or sails is a submarine ?

Lots of submarines have masts and American ones all have sails.

 

[capnsensible]

 

[laika]

Goodness. How prissy does sailing-boat sound?

I can't speak for the added hyphenation but "sailing boat" is overwhelmingly preferred by readers of this forum to "sailboat". Language is a dynamic thing the "rules" of which are determined by how people use it within a language group. As more people learn about sailing from youtube than word of mouth doubtless americanisms will take over but for now "sailing boat" is preferred over "sailboat" by the vast majority of British English speakers. Many folks here prefer "yacht" but I think that's a slightly different argument. I present the poll previously referenced to support my contention:
"British English" speakers: What do you call a boat propelled by sails?
Note that the "sailboat" contingent seems to contain voters from north america and northern europe.

I await with interest the evidence to support the counter argument that "sailboat" is, in fact, the preferred British English term.

 

[Caraway]

I can't speak for the added hyphenation but "sailing boat" is overwhelmingly preferred by readers of this forum to "sailboat". Language is a dynamic thing the "rules" of which are determined by how people use it within a language group. As more people learn about sailing from youtube than word of mouth doubtless americanisms will take over but for now "sailing boat" is preferred over "sailboat" by the vast majority of British English speakers. Many folks here prefer "yacht" but I think that's a slightly different argument. I present the poll previously referenced to support my contention:
"British English" speakers: What do you call a boat propelled by sails?
Note that the "sailboat" contingent seems to contain voters from north america and northern europe.

I await with interest the evidence to support the counter argument that "sailboat" is, in fact, the preferred British English term.

Before you start asking for evidence I would like you to produce results of research to show that for now "sailing boat" is preferred over "sailboat" by the vast majority of British English speakers.
I don't mean a poll on a minor web forum. You said " the vast majority of British English speakers "
So come on let's see those figures ......

 

[ryanroberts]

Normal people just use 'yacht' I think

 

[Caraway]

Very good. Can you give a link to the graph in its original location?

 

[Gary Fox]

'Sailboat' is a dumbed-down Americanism, like 'sailplane' for glider, and its use should be vigorously discouraged.

 

[RichardS]

Very good. Can you give a link to the graph in its original location?

It's on his sailboat.

Richard