Sailing yacht

Sailing yachts

50-foot (15 m) cruising yacht, Zapata II, in 2013

60-foot (18 m) ocean racing yacht, Safran, in 2007

Cruising and racing yachts embody different tradeoffs between comfort and performance.

A sailing yacht (US ship prefixes SY or S/Y), is a leisure craft that uses sails as its primary means of propulsion. A yacht may be a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing.^[1][2][3] There is no standard definition, so the term applies here to sailing vessels that have a cabin with amenities that accommodate overnight use. To be termed a "yacht", as opposed to a "boat", such a vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length and have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities.^[4] Sailboats that do not accommodate overnight use or are smaller than 30 feet (9.1 m) are not universally called yachts. Sailing yachts in excess of 130 feet (40 m) are generally considered to be superyachts.^[5]

Sailing yachts are actively used in sport and are among categories recognized by the governing body of sailing sports, World Sailing.^[6]