YACHTS AND YACHTING. A yacht, as distinguished from a boat or ship, is a vessel designed for pleasure, not commerce, usually built for both comfort and speed, and often luxuriously equipped. It may be either a sail ing vessel of one, two or more masts, or a steam or gasoline-power craft. Small, very swift pleasure craft, with gasoline power, are called motor-boats, and slow-going but more or less well-cabined boats for shore and private use are house-boats (q.v.). Yachts are further distinguished from merchant vessels in that they arc free to go between coast ports registering at a custom house, although in going to a foreign port registration is usually required. Visiting yachts of other countries arc commonly extended the privileges granted to local yachts.
Kugliah The word yarin is of Dutch origin, being from the Dutch jagt,a swift vessel, from jagea, to chase, to hunt. It seems to have been introduced into England in 1660 when the Dutch presented Charles Il with a yacht. The first recorded yacht race was be tween Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York, which took place on the Thames in 1661, but from that date none is on record till 17%, when 10 boats started on a SO-mile race in the Bristol flannel under the auspices of the Bristol Sailing Society. For a long period, ex tending well into the 19th century. yachting was closely connected with naval defense, and pri s ate yachts were generally constructed to carry guns and to be used in case of need for naval purposes. Private individuals of means were thus able to contribute to national defense not only directly by forming a kind of minor vol unteer fleet, but also indirectly by leading the way in the development of naval architecture. In 1832 the Emerald, the fastest cutter in the Royal navy, was defeated in a racing and sail ing contest with the Paddy tram Cork, a yacht belonging to a member of the famous Water Club of Cork, and in consequence the head of the government school of naval architecture in Portsmouth was deputed to measure several private yachts with a view to improving the construction of vessels for the navy. In the following year the Water 14'iteli, a vessel similar to the 10-inch gun brigs of the navy, built for Lord Belfast, proved herself faster than any vessel in the Royal navy, and better than any of her kind for purposes of warfare. Of the
many yacht clubs now in existence only the Royal Cork Yacht Club and the Royal Thames Yacht Club can trace their history back to a period before the hut century. While the modern yacht.clubs have promoted a vast IIUM her of sailing races, wealthy yachtsmen have come to own numerous steam pleasure yachts devoted to summer cruising. The premier yacht club of Great Britain. the Royal Yacht squadron, with headquarters at Cowes. dates to 1815 in its formal capacity. In 1820 it became the Royal Yacht Club, and in 1833 its name was changed by royal order to Royal Yacht Squadron. The Royal Northern Yacht Club, with headquarters at Rothesay, was founded in 1824.
In 1909 Lloyds Registry of yachts showed a total of 2,250 craft, of which 1,443 belonged in the United Kingdom, 137 were colonial, 182 French, 86 German and Austrian, and other countries totaled 332. The United Kingdom tonnage totaled 190,000, the French 6,745, the German and Austrian 6,602, the other countries about 72,000. Perhaps the most elaborate steam yacht was the Hohenzollern, the private yacht of the former kaiser. There was a marked increase in 1915, the last year before the war changed conditions. In that year the English, French, Continental and colonial yachts regis tered in Lloyds showed 10 of from 2,000, to 5,000 tons, 33 from 1,000 to 2,000 tons, 71 from 500 to 1,000 tons, 535 from 100 to 500 tons and 3,12:i below 100 tons; total, 3,774 craft. The number of yacht clubs in Great Britain at the same date was nearly 200. With the coming of the Great War and the U-boat campaign, British and Continental yachting were almost forgotten. Races ceased and the larger and finer steam and pleasure yachts were loaned or sold to their respective governments. The typical sailing racers are of little practical use, but the steam pleasure yachts made splendid dispatch boats and were also useful for hos pital purposes.