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The Dutch word for a private pleasure vessel, 'yacht' became part of the English language in 1660, the year of the restoration of Charles II to the throne, when the States General of Holland presented the King of England with 'Mary', a 100-ton, eight-gun, pleasure craft.

In this section we look at yachts of every kind, and at the advantages and disadvantages of each, in the eyes of their fans and detractors equally.

Ketch:  on this page we include the Yawl, until such a time as Yawl fans produce enough material to gain a page to themselves!

Motor Yacht: includes all cruising motor vessels which are privately owned.

Multihulls is for lovers of the catamaran, trimaran and any other configuration, be it those racy performance beasts or comfy cruising floating apartments!

Schooner be it a humble two-master or a five-masted splendour, the schooner is mentioned in many books and seen in many films, there are plenty still plying their trade around the world as small cargo ships and, of course, as cruising yachts they're hard to beat for comfort and safety. Here we look at all kinds. 

Sloop was once the term for a type of vessel that could have several masts, but these days the name has come to be associated with any single-masted yacht. On this page we meet all kinds.

Tall Ship is the page dedicated to those rare, unusual and historical boats. 

If your boat fits into any of those categories, or deserves a category of her own, we would love to hear all about her. If you have known a wonderful boat and would like to share your memories we would love to be a party to them. We will gladly add a page to cover any topic which doesn't fit elsewhere.