IT'S A YACHT, NOT A SAILBOAT !

[rotrax]

Met some Kiwi's in Wangaroa Harbour some years ago, in the oldest Sport Fishing Club in the world - Zane Grey fished there 100 years ago - who bashfully told us " We are not here fishing, we are Yotties - thats our boat just over there! "

And it was, a lovely blue hull flush decked steel yacht with a large hard doghouse.

So, just to put the cat among the pigeons, what is the collective for several sail enthusiasts and their boats?

 

[capnsensible]

Met some Kiwi's in Wangaroa Harbour some years ago, in the oldest Sport Fishing Club in the world - Zane Grey fished there 100 years ago - who bashfully told us " We are not here fishing, we are Yotties - thats our boat just over there! "

And it was, a lovely blue hull flush decked steel yacht with a large hard doghouse.

So, just to put the cat among the pigeons, what is the collective for several sail enthusiasts and their boats?

An Argument of sailyboaters.

 

[laika]

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 ......

Surveys in general are about expanding the results of a question put to a small population to the larger population. And no, I haven't asked this question to everyone in the country, have you? Admittedly the population here is not representative of the wider population in that they know something about sailing and use of sailing terminology. Perhaps you're suggesting that even though "sailing boat" is more accepted amongst British English speakers who actually own small sail-propelled boats, people who know nothing about boats use "sailboat"?

A scuttlebutt poll may not meet ipsos mori's standards but at the moment it 's infinitely better than evidence presented to contradict it.

 

[scottie]

An Argument of sailyboaters.

Was going to suggest A forum of anchorites but looked up the meaning and can’t find the antonym

 

[ryanroberts]

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

Google ngrams, whole English corpus rather than British English, there are no data points *at all* for "sailing boat" or "sail boat" in British english.

Google Books Ngram Viewer

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Met some Kiwi's in Wangaroa Harbour some years ago, in the oldest Sport Fishing Club in the world - Zane Grey fished there 100 years ago - who bashfully told us " We are not here fishing, we are Yotties - thats our boat just over there! "

And it was, a lovely blue hull flush decked steel yacht with a large hard doghouse.

So, just to put the cat among the pigeons, what is the collective for several sail enthusiasts and their boats?

Flotation of sailists ?
Clutch of silly old men going nowhere ?

 

[MADRIGAL]

Normal people just use 'yacht' I think

View attachment 114005

For some reason it seems pretentious to refer to the Wayfarer as a yacht, even if she is the biggest boat I can afford. After all, she is just a small sailing boat

 

[JumbleDuck]

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 ......

Why? I mean, why should any of us go out of our way to do this? What benefit will it bring us?

 

[Biggles Wader]

Flotation of sailists ?
Clutch of silly old men going nowhere ?

A windbag of yachtsmen

 

[newtothis]

A windbag of yachtsmen

An impoverishment of sailors.

 

[Caraway]

It's on his sailboat.

Richard

is that where he keeps his crayons?

 

[Caraway]

Why? I mean, why should any of us go out of our way to do this? What benefit will it bring us?

Laika claimed it. I want to understand how much credence we can afford his off-the-cuff remark.

 

[rotrax]

An impoverishment of sailors.

Thats a bit close to home...................................

 

[capnsensible]

Laika claimed it. I want to understand how much credence we can afford his off-the-cuff remark.

A troll of pedants.

 

[Stemar]

This used to be a good-natured forum (anchor threads excepted ) most of the year, but tended to get a bit argumentative towards the end of winter when the boat withdrawal symptoms got out of hand. Clearly the lockdown has gone on too long; I offer this thread in evidence.

Hang in there guys, the season's coming!

 

[JohnGC]

So, just to put the cat among the pigeons, what is the collective for several sail enthusiasts and their boats?

On a forum during a pandemic - a doldrum?

 

[John the kiwi]

Met some Kiwi's in Wangaroa Harbour some years ago, in the oldest Sport Fishing Club in the world - Zane Grey fished there 100 years ago - who bashfully told us " We are not here fishing, we are Yotties - thats our boat just over there! "

And it was, a lovely blue hull flush decked steel yacht with a large hard doghouse.

So, just to put the cat among the pigeons, what is the collective for several sail enthusiasts and their boats?

Well mostly its a barful of yotties mate!

 

[newtothis]

Well mostly its a barful of yotties mate!

Until two pints later, when it becomes an anchor debate of opinions.

 

[Greenheart]

...an anchor debate of opinions.

Would that be called "a stock of flukes"?

 

[Biggles Wader]

No. That would be a kedgeree