All About Yachts

Yachts are well known as a symbol of luxury and comfort. Beyond that, though, there is a lot most people don’t know about these well-regarded pleasure crafts. For example, few people could give you an exact definition of what constitutes a yacht or not. That’s why Spring Brook Marina has created this guide to clear up the confusion about yachts. 

Definition

Defining what qualifies as a yacht and what doesn’t is more difficult than you might think. For instance, whether a vessel is powered by sail or by motor has no bearing on it being categorized as a yacht. While size is used to divide yachts into classes, everything from models under 40 feet to models longer than 160 feet can all be considered yachts. While there is no real strict definition of what makes a yacht, generally any vessel that is used primarily for racing or recreation and has a cabin for overnight use can be considered a yacht. 

History

While associated with luxury and recreation in modern times, the word “yacht” actually comes from the Dutch word jacht, meaning “hunt”. These light, fast vessels were used by the 14th-century Dutch Navy to hunt down smugglers and pirates. Over time, though, it became fashionable for rich merchants to use these vessels to go out and meet their returning ships in order to celebrate a successful voyage. This naturally evolved into the practice of taking one’s jacht out for a pleasure cruise. 

This practice would soon spread to the rest of Europe. In the early 1600s, monarchs were already starting to use watercraft for recreation rather than just transportation and conquest. However, the name “yacht” would not be applied to these craft until the time of King Charles II of England, who visited Holland during his decade-long exile. Upon returning to the throne, Charles commissioned a series of royal yachts, even bringing his brother James in on the craze. This eventually culminated in a race on the River Thames between a yacht commissioned by James and a yacht commissioned and helmed by King Charles himself. 

This secured the yacht’s reputation as a luxury vessel. Soon others would get in on the craze, eventually culminating in the modern yacht racing and recreation scenes. Luckily, you no longer need to be as rich as a king to own a yacht, with models of all sizes and levels of luxury available. 

To view our selection of new and pre-owned yachts, or to access our parts and servicing departments, visit Spring Brook Marina & Yacht Sales. We operate six locations throughout the Midwest, including one in Chicago, Illinois. We are proud to serve communities like St. Louis, Missouri.