What exactly is a *yacht* anyway?

[cbayer]

Ok, I live on a boat. I never call it a yacht, but on more than one occasion I received replies to my posts that dismiss me as a *yachtie* or insult me because I have a *yacht*. I was told once to take my yacht and sail as far away as I could as fast as I could.

I live on a boat because it allows me to live off the grid, move my home whenever I want and be able to leave this country on a moments notice, if that became necessary.

Most of the people who live on boats are considered homeless and looked down on by the bulk of society (at least that has been my experience). However, here on DU it is seen as some kind of elitist thing.

So, what do you consider a *yacht*? Are people that live on boats the scum of the earth or entitled elitists?

[AlCzervik]

1. My Dad had a 44 ft sailboat, they called it a yacht but it wasn't fancy.

i think of the word yacht in relation to the size of the actual boat, not as in boat for a rich person. My Dad used to live on it during the summers which was great because he'd be gone and my sister and i would have the house.

[cbayer]

3. Your parents called it a yacht?

Maybe it is a size thing. Did you sail with your Dad?

[AlCzervik]

6. not my parents, they were divorced. No my dad called it the boat and so did we.

we used to sail with him all the time, he kept his boat in the Charleston navy yard Marina and every year there was a group called Blue waters sailing club and we'd sail from Ptown all the way to Castine Maine and the final hurrah was a big lobster bake at the Maine Maritime academy. We used to also sail some races on week nights in the summer, sometimes my sister and i would crew for different boats, that was kind of fun and scary.

[cbayer]

9. Wow, my dad had a small cottage in Castine for awhile.

I remember eating for free in Castine. We would dig mussels in the morning, pick blueberries in the afternoon and fish off the rocks in the early evening. What a magical place that is.

Sailing is definitely both fun and scary. It helps to have a good and confident captain. I have grown to love it.

[AlCzervik]

11. well sailing was a nice escape but to be honest with you it was pretty weird going from the crowd

who sailed to going back home to the projects, the juxtaposition of the 2 things was pretty messed up.

Things i learned quick, mind the boom, put the winch handles back in the winch handle pockets because when you forget and 1 goes overboard it's an expensive and humiliating lesson.

[cbayer]

21. Yes, I can see how that would be wierd.

I never knew anything about boats when I lived in Chicago and would have seen it as a luxury item. My perspective has changed since making the transition to full time boat living.

You have the basics down. Also, there is only one captain and s/he is to be obeyed. This was a hard one for me as I am used to being in charge but I am definitely not the captain.

[AlCzervik]

25. i stopped sailing when i was about 15 and my mom got sick, my dad couldn't figure out

why i wouldn't want to go away for 2 weeks, duh. I didn't step foot on that boat again until i was 22 and we took it out for it's final sail before he sold it. And yes there is only room for one captain on any boat and when then tell you to do something you just do it.

[cbayer]

30. Sorry about your mom.

I have met more than a few men that love their boats more than their wives. Might explain why there are so few women willing to live on boats.

I hope you get to sail again. There are some great women only courses (for some reason, I am assuming you are female).

[AlCzervik]

33. i don't really see that happening, it's just not my thing anymore and my husband gets seasick

i still love seeing a sailboat though flying it's spinnaker on a sunny day, nothing quite like it.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cbayer]

5. I hope that I am not an entitled jerk

Are you just making a generalization or have you seen me behave as such?

I am taken aback by both generalizations - being an entitled jerk and a homeless loser.

[Orrex]

27. On the bright side, you're a homeless loser with a yacht

:evilgrin:

I think that a yacht is, among other things, a self-congratulatory luxury affectation for the sake of status and facade.

If your boat is your only home, it seems less likely to me that it's a status symbol, even if by technical maritime definition it meets the criteria of "yacht."

[cbayer]

29. Homeless loser with a yacht! Yep, that's the best description I can think of.

I have a boat that is envied by many other boaters. She's a beaut but she is also my home and expected to work for me (as long as I take good care of her). I could go anywhere in this boat and, hopefully, that is exactly what I will do. The added plus, I will do it without paying any energy company, water company or satellite/cable company. That's what I love.

[sammythecat]

44. I just always assumed you had a satellite connection to the internet.

Is that how you do it? I'm asking because you said you don't pay any "satellite/cable" company. Were you just referring to satellite TV?

Whatever it's called, I think your situation is pretty cool. I can certainly understand the appeal. Whenever I see your posts I imagine you under the stars somewhere in the South Pacific between Skull Island and Tahiti...and posting on DU.

[cbayer]

63. I do have to pay AT&T.

I have a cellular connection to the internet. We get TV through the air for FREE!

It is a very cool situation. DU provides me with the small amount of socialization I need.

[speedoo]

56. So you don't need gasoline or diesel fuel? Or propane?

Does your boat have no engine?

And how do you cook?

[cbayer]

64. I have a diesel engine and propane tanks for cooking.

We try to use the engine very, very little - mostly for getting in and out of harbors. We maybe use $10 diesel and $5 propane a month.

[MonkeyFunk]

50. Don't worry

That one thinks Sacramento is a place from which to look down on the rest of the country. Her view is a bit skewed.

[Name removed]

49. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Elidor]

4. I consider yachts to be exclusively racing boats

If someone lives on it or hauls freight in it, it's a boat.

I envy you your freedom and lifestyle. Then again, I'm glad I don't have to drive my house around from place to place. That sounds stressful.

[cbayer]

8. Right. I always just call it a boat.

There is little stress associated with sailing the boat from one place to another, unless the weather is threatening. My husband loves the bad weather. He always wants to move when there is a small craft advisory or gale warning. I prefer the smooth sailing days, but we work it out.

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. I consider it part of a well-known British surname

A DUer once wished a tornado upon me because I said I live in a 1,280-square-foot mobile home. She said there was no such thing and unloaded on me in a vicious, irrational tirade like few I've ever seen here.



"Ignore" is your friend. :)

[cbayer]

13. It's not even a proper nose!

Mobile homes and boats are similar. Self-contained and apparently open to ridicule.

[Oeditpus Rex]

18. Will you come on a camping holiday with me?

:D

[cbayer]

22. I would be honored!

And you are invited to go on a sailing adventure. We are hoping to leave the country soon and are looking for crew. I am a good cook.

[Oeditpus Rex]

36. Okay...

Guess I assumed too much from your "Not a proper nose" response. :blush:



I was talking about this bit:







"Ah, Mr. Luxury Yacht. Do sit down, please."

"Ah, no, no. My name is spelt 'Luxury Yacht' but it's pronounced 'Throat Warbler Mangrove'."

"Well, do sit down, then, Mr. Throat Warbler Mangrove."

"Thank you."

"Now, what seems to be the trouble?"

"Um... I'd like you to perform some plastic surgery on me."

"I see. And which particular feature of your anatomy is causing you distress?"

"Well, well for a long time now, in fact, even when I was a child, I... you know, whenever I left home to catch a bus or to catch a train... and even my tennis has suffered, actually..."

"Yes. To be absolutely blunt, you're worried about your enormous hooter."

"No!"

"No?"

"Yes."

"Yes, and you want me to hack a bit off."

"Please."

"Fine. It is a startler, isn't it? Er, do you mind if I... er..."

"What?"

"Oh, no nothing, then. Well, I'll just examine your nose. (It comes off in his hand.) Mr. Luxury Yacht, this nose of yours is false; it's made of polystyrene. And your own hooter's a beaut'; no pruning necessary."

"I'd still like the operation."

"Well, you've had the operation, you strange person."

"Please do an operation!"

"Well, all right — but only if you come on a camping holiday with me."

"He asked me! He asked me!"

(There follows film of the two of them frolicking in the woods, in slow motion.)

[cbayer]

38. No, I am just really bad at picking up the joke.

I am usually the one laughing 5 minutes after everyone else.

:rofl:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I think a boat has to be pretty big and fancy to qualify as a "yacht."

I have a small sailboat that I can't imagine anyone calling a yacht. A lot of people think sailboats are some "elitist" thing, but you can get a fairly decent small one for a lot less than the cost of most motorboats these days. Plus, the wind is free.

[cbayer]

16. What kind of boat do you have?

We are in an island harbor right now and almost all of the boats are sail. The gas/diesel prices are keeping the power boaters home (YAY!!!).

It is fantastic to be able to travel almost anywhere for virtually nothing, isn't it?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. It's a Hunter 260. Nothing fancy, but it's fun.

[cbayer]

32. Do you sail singlehanded?

I have a female cousin who sails alone. I would love to get to the point where I have the confidence to do that.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

57. No, but only because docking is too much of a hassle by yourself.

If I could figure out a way to do that I'd take it out alone, since it's not a very complicated boat and there's a roller-furling mechanism on the jib.

[cbayer]

65. I read an article recently about singlehanded docking.

The technique recommended was to hang a dock line over the side while coming in and snag the cleat from the boat to stop. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like it would work. I think I read about it on sailnet. I know what you are saying, though. I get nervous about docking, especially if there is wind.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. yarr ye be a pirate, matie

[cbayer]

23. Shiver me timbers!

Hand over all yer wenches and rum.

[cloudbase]

14. This was my "yacht" for many years.

[cbayer]

24. What is that?

My brother worked an LPG boat for awhile, but I am curious as to what that carries.

[cloudbase]

35. The Marilyn

was a pure bulk carrier. We carried mostly grain and every now and then a load of coal or ore. A typical "dirt boat." No tween decks, and the no. 3 hold was also used to carry ballast when we had no cargo. To this day I believe that it had the simplest and best laid out engineering spaces of any ship I ever sailed on. I was the first assistant engineer.

[jobycom]

15. Phonetically, it would be the sound a cat makes when coughing a hairball. But, I have to wonder

how does everyone know you live on a boat of any sort? I think if I took a poll, no one would know what I live in/on.

[cbayer]

20. Possibly my profile and avatar give it away.

I am very excited about the way I live and was unaware that it would make anyone uncomfortable. Perhaps I have been wrong about that, but to live off the grid is something I advocate.

[bluesbassman]

19. Depends on what you do with the craft.

As you are living on it as a primary residence, it is not a "pleasure craft", so therefore it's not a yacht.


From Wiki:
A yacht is a recreational boat. It designates two rather different classes of watercraft, sailing and power yachts. Yachts are differentiated from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. It was not until the ascendancy of the steamboat and other types of powerboat that sailing vessels in general came to be perceived as luxury items. However, since the level of luxury on larger yachts has seen an increasing trend, the use of the word yacht to mean any sailing vessel has been diminishing and is more and more limited to racing yachts or cruising yachts.

Yacht lengths generally start at 32–35 feet (10–11 m) and go up to hundreds of feet. A mega yacht generally refers to any yacht (sail or power) above 100' or 34 m and a super yacht generally refers to any yacht over 200' or 70 m. This size is small in relation to typical cruise liners and oil tankers.

Yacht (pronounced /ˈjɑːt/, from Dutch Jacht meaning hunting, compare German Jagd) was originally defined as a light, fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries. After its selection by Charles II of England as the vessel of choice for his return to Britain from the Netherlands for his restoration, it came to be used to convey important persons.

Later, the word came to designate a wider range of vessels, almost always in private use (i.e. not used for commercial carriage of cargo or passengers), propelled by sail, power, or both, and used for pleasure cruising or racing.

[cbayer]

26. Great history lesson there.

I love boat history and boat stories. This one shows where the important person or elitist connotation came from.

[DarkTirade]

28. It's what rich people have instead of a boat.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

31. My dear cbayer!

You are neither scum of the earth, nor an elitist!

I think you're a very smart and classy lady who lives on a boat!

Yachts are for rich people, who have too much time and money on their hands...

:yourock:

:hug:

[cbayer]

34. Hello Peggy petal pie.

You are so wonderful and positive. When are you coming over to Catalina?

:hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

37. Aw, sweetie...

What a lovely thing to say...

I didn't have any immediate plans to come over...

I get seasick very easily, alas...

Since you're the one with the boat, it would probably be easier for you to come to me!

:hug:

[cbayer]

39. We will back over next month sometime.

Let me know if you have a reading anywhere. I will come if in town. Promise.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

40. Very cool!

I read every Tuesday night (except for the fourth one) at the Coffee Cartel, in Redondo Beach, Catalina Village...

That would be so grand to have you there!

I will PM you my phone number...

:hug:

[cbayer]

41. Please do.

I will come and would love to meet you in person. i will be the scruffy 50 something woman with red hair.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

42. Very cool!

And I'm the tallish crazy woman with silvery hair!

And, BTW, you have mail!

:hi:

[jmowreader]

43. A yacht is a private, not-for-hire ship

A ship is a vessel that carries another boat. So...if you have a vessel that carries another boat (no matter how small it is), it's not in revenue service, and a government doesn't own it, it's a yacht.

If you have a 100-foot, $15 million Hatteras with no dinghy, you're driving a boat. (You're also a grade-A dumbass, but that's another issue.) A guy with a used $15,000 bass boat that has a $50 rubber raft in the forward livewell is a yachtsman.

[TK421]

45. Not knowing much about boats myself, I always thought a yacht to be a large, fancy cruiser

of course, I'm probably wrong in that assessment, but I just pictured a larger boat with living quarters and all of the standard amenities....a home away from home, if you will

[Pierre.Suave]

46. I want one of these

Then lets see them say anything...:P

[Old Hickory Fan]

47. Marina fees are more than some folks rent or mortgage !!!!!!!

Like a big hole in the water to throw bucks into:-)

Gas at the Marinas can get outrageous too, and few understand that some of these babies only get a few miles to the gallon and the fuel is over $5.00/gallon with 200 gallon tanks!

I never consider people who live year around on board or out of dock to be anything but free.

I do not understand why anybody would look down on anybody for this choice.

BTW: If you buy a boat over a certain length where I live they send you papers referring to it as a yacht.

Also Yachting magazine.

Enjoy the life my friend! Do your own thing!


OHF

[cbayer]

69. Anchoring is free!

Of course, our windlass just went out and anchoring is now more work, but that's OK. Marine diesel has gotten outrageous. There is no doubt that more power boaters are staying home and more sailboats are going out. The whole lifestyle of needing so little from others is really great. My biggest outlay is for groceries.

I am loving the life! Thanks OHF.

[galledgoblin]

48. to me, a yacht

would be a huge boat that some rich guy owns but doesn't use all that often yet likes to point to when showing off how rich he is.

your description would be a houseboat, same way people have farmhouses and loft apartments. I'm envious!

here's a thought: suburban dwellers invoke much more resentment and anger from elitist attitudes than your description does.

[flvegan]

51. Who cares what they say?

Most idiots wouldn't know superyacht from dingy. A supercat from a sloop.

Kind of like the idiots that would say to someone that says "I live in a motor carriage" that they're a homeless person living in a van as opposed to someone touring the country in a 40' Prevost.

[JVS]

52. I just did a quick check to see if you were the guy who told this story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x211625#211625

[cbayer]

66. Er, no, that wasn't me.

I hope that I will never set myself up that badly.

[1Hippiechick]

53. Wikipedia defines it as the follwoing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht

[leeroysphitz]

54. I should know. I am a medical doctor. I own a mansion and a yacht. n/t

[hedgehog]

55. Depends - who empties the head? If you do it, it's a boat,

if your hired help does it, it's a yacht!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

58. LOL!

Then I guess I have a mere boat...

[cbayer]

67. Definitely boat then!

That's a great definition.

[cornermouse]

59. If your faucets are 24K gold, its a yacht.

If not...:shrug: I don't know what to tell you.

[Courtesy Flush]

60. People have no idea what a yacht is

The responses here sound like they come from people who have never sailed.

Here's a picture of my yacht. It's nearly 35 years old, and I paid $3000 for her. The interior is rough, and it's a squeeze to spend the night in her. I can park it in my back yard when not in use. But she qualifies as a yacht, by the traditional definition.

It's mostly Americans who define the word as an elitist extravagance.

[cbayer]

68. She looks really well cared for!

What kind of boat is she?

In Marina del Rey, CA, there are 6,000 slips. I'd say that only 10% of the boats there go out more than once or twice a year. I consider those 10% boats, the other 90% yachts.

We do not have a slip, which has turned out to be a great decision.

[Courtesy Flush]

72. It's an O'day 22

Solid little boat, but not very fast. Or maybe I just don't know how to make her go fast.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

61. A yacht is a recreational boat --

Yacht lengths generally start at 32–35 feet (10–11 m) and go up to hundreds of feet. A mega yacht generally refers to any yacht (sail or power) above 100' or 34 m and a super yacht generally refers to any yacht over 200' or 70 m. This size is small in relation to typical cruise liners and oil tankers.
It designates two rather different classes of watercraft, sailing and power yachts. Yachts are differentiated from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. It was not until the ascendancy of the steamboat and other types of powerboat that sailing vessels in general came to be perceived as luxury items. However, since the level of luxury on larger yachts has seen an increasing trend, the use of the word yacht to mean any sailing vessel has been diminishing and is more and more limited to racing yachts or cruising yachts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht

[LibertyLover]

62. According to definitions I've seen

all a yacht is is a recreational sailing vessal. It comes from the Dutch word jacht or hunting and was used by the Dutch navy for the boats they used to hunt pirates. It became popular in England to convey important people during the time of Charles II as it was the type boat he used to return to England from Holland. I've seen one of Charles II's yachts in the Portsmith Naval Yard museum - it was a very small, one person sailing ship. He used it to race. If I didn't get so darn sick on the water, I'd love to live on a boat part of the year. My husband hopes to build a small sailboat (16 foot or so) in the next couple of years so that our daughter and he can sail on the Chesapeake. So, no, people who live on boats are not the wretched scum of the earth - some have their own accents (gratuitous History of the World Part I reference).

[cbayer]

70. Seasickness was a huge issue for me.

It has gotten much better over time. I wear these special pressure bracelets and do not go below unless necessary. As long as I stay on deck, I do OK. However, some people never seem to get over it.

The best medicine, by far, is the scopolamine patch.

[Joey Liberal]

71. It's a boat for topless women:).................. n/t