Yacht

A yacht is large boat that moves either by wind or motor power and is used for racing or pleasure. There is no specific definition of a yacht, but a boat is generally considered to be a yacht if is at least thirty-three feet in length and has a cabin equipped with overnight accommodations. The design of a yacht and its equipment depends on its purpose. Racing yachts are designed for speed and maneuverability, while pleasure, fishing, and charter yachts are built for comfort and recreation and often feature luxurious fixtures and amenities. Yachts range in price from a few hundred thousand dollars to millions of dollars. While yacht-like pleasure boats were popular as far back as the days of the ancient Egyptians, the contemporary concept of a yacht began in the seventeenth century.

Background

Ancient Egyptian pharaohs enjoyed large pleasure boats with power provided by human oarsmen. Other countries, such as Japan, Burma, and India, also used large watercraft for pleasure and racing. It is known that the Anglo-Saxons and several other ancient populations also used larger sailing craft for pleasure, though none with the luxury and size that came to be associated with yachts.

The word yacht originated as the Dutch word jaght, or “hunter,” which referred to a lightweight Dutch military sailing vessel used to track and capture criminals such as pirates beginning in the fifteenth century. Rich merchants also began using them to sail out to meet their incoming cargo ships. Eventually, the merchants began using them to cruise simply for pleasure. In 1660, when England’s King Charles II was restored to the British throne after exile in Holland, the Dutch gave him a yacht for his return home. Named the Mary, the sixty-foot craft was built for the Dutch East Indies Company and had a crew of twenty.

Seeing the monarch’s triumphant return home deepened the association between yachts and important people. Yachts became racing vessels in 1661 when Charles II pitted his yacht against one owned by his brother, James Stuart, the Duke of York, later James II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. That first race was won by Charles, and soon, yacht racing became very popular with other European monarchs. By the early eighteenth century, non-royal wealthy Europeans began their own yacht clubs, and owning, racing, and cruising on yachts became an established pastime for the wealthy people.

In the early nineteenth century, Dutch and English colonists brought yachts and yachting to the United States. One of the earliest American yachts was Cleopatra’s Barge. Built in 1816 at a cost of $50,000 and outfitted with another $50,000 worth of extravagant fixtures, the ship was renamed the Pride of Hawaii after becoming the royal yacht for King Kamehameha II. The 192-ton multi-mast sailing ship was lost at sea in 1824, but helped bring the European fascination with yachting to North America. Eventually, steam engines and then other motors replaced the sails on many, but not all, yachts.

Overview

While there is no single definition of a yacht, watercraft used for exclusively for racing or pleasure—such as water sports, fishing, cruising, or entertaining—are generally characterized as yachts when they exceed thirty-three feet in length. If a yacht reaches about one hundred feet in length, it is called a superyacht, while those close to two hundred feet in length are called megayachts. Yachts of all sizes generally have living accommodations, including sleeping quarters, a bathroom, and a galley or kitchen. Most—but not all—feature fancy finishes, such as expensive woods, leather, etc., and have luxurious accommodations.

Size and luxury are not the only characteristics used to define yachts. They can also be defined by the method of propulsion and the overall purpose of the craft. For example, sailing yachts are powered by the combination of wind and one or more sails, while motor yachts have an onboard engine to provide power. In the past, these were often steam engines, then regular combustion engines powered by gasoline. Most twenty-first century yachts are diesel powered. A third type of yacht has both sails and a motor; these are called gulet yachts.

Sail, motor, and gulet yachts can all be used for a variety of purposes. Some are racing vessels, designed more for speed and maneuverability than the comfort of their occupants. Others are known as sports yachts, intended to be used for water sports such as fishing, or simply cruising on open water. These are also often sleeker in design to allow the occupants to move swiftly to their preferred fishing grounds and back, or to allow for fast rides in seas and oceans. Sportfish or fishing yachts are designed with stronger materials to accommodate fishing on rough seas, more cockpit space for the boat’s pilot, and extra storage space for equipment and the fishermen’s catch.

Some yachts are built for leisure activities, such as cruising slowly through open water. These yachts can also be used for transportation from port to port, much like King Charles used his jaght. Yachts like this are known by a number of names, including cruisers or cabin cruisers and open yachts. Luxury yachts are often larger, fancier versions of cruiser-type yachts. They generally feature the latest technology with elaborate cabins and decks.

Yachts are also grouped in categories based on their layout. There are sedans, with enclosed below-deck living quarters, and flybridge and daybridge styles, which have above-deck living areas. Yachts can also feature an area known as a sky lounge, which is a protected, glass-enclosed area above deck to allow for better viewing. SUV yachts—like the motor vehicles they are named for—combine the best features of a sports and cabin yacht, while convertible yachts can be reconfigured easily to allow for it to be used for fishing or entertainment purposes. Expedition yachts are large yachts designed to make long-distance travel more comfortable They feature a deeper hull, or main body, and are designed to be more stable in rough waters.

A number of different materials are used to make yachts. These include wood, metal, and fiberglass. Larger yachts often use steel, aluminum, or reinforced plastic to add strength and stability. They are equipped with electricity, communication, instrumentation and navigation systems, water storage, waste water/sanitation tanks, cooking and refrigeration facilities, and storage, in addition to cabins or staterooms for guests and bunkrooms for the crew.

Though boats and yachts in the United States have had to comply with numerous environmental standards developed and set by the International Maritime Organization, Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), it was not until the twenty-first century that sustainable and green yachting became prevalent. In 2024, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) held an inaugural super yachting forum in Monaco to discuss alternative fuels, electrification, fuel cell technology, and the future of methanol engines. Companies shared their innovations and projects geared toward sustainability, such as Sanlorenzo's hydrogen-fuelled, 50-meter motor yacht, 50Steel, and Vitters’ zero fossil fuel sailing yacht, Project 3094.

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