A "Yacht" really refers to a type of rigging, Vesta, and originally referred to a rather small craft admirably suited for smuggling across the English Channel. Since the end of the Age of Sail it pretty much has become a term for any private craft big enough to make an extended trip.
Thank you Tanker, It would seem that the Pirates mother ship, a scow most likely is called a Yacht in some quarters.
Could be that the huge number of [ what we River Rats with ties going back generations to
fishing and whaling ] see on the river today that cost $5000 a foot --yup millions of dollars--has jaded me.
I went on a 6 day bare foot cruse on the 95 foot Mary Day, beautiful newer built craft, it took both crew and visitors to raise the huge sails. We also met up with a much older and bigger sail cruse ship I believe it was called the Wind Chimes that had 3 masts and the sails were one over the other, magnificent. I don't think there are more then a few of that kind of ship left, first time I have ever see one that was not in movies or paintings.
Big business on the North East Coast, only 3 hours of electricity, all food cooked in and on wood stove's for some reason few get sea sick on sail boats. We had an all girl crew from Maine Maratine Academy, our Skipper was a graduate. These young woman climbed the rigging like monkeys barefoot scared me half to death. If one wants to sail the Maine Coast for a week for a most unusual experience on a Yacht, it stops off the small inhabited islands off the coast and Bar Harbor, less then 20 people including us on the Mary Day, this is the way to go.
