Yachts are sailing, sailing-motor or motor vessels for sports or recreation, this is the definition given by various dictionaries. If you are a romantic, then a yacht is a dream, a girl, a bird, and a reliable friend to whom you entrust your life when you leave the shore.
Some people think that a yacht is necessarily a large, expensive, plastic or metal snow-white vessel, with many superstructures, several dozen meters long, about 10 meters high, without a mast. Because Abramovich's yacht has no mast, it is a motor vessel.
Motor yachts, much smaller in size, plow the waters of warm seas with relaxing passengers on board, who bask in the rays of the sun. Today, many can afford such pleasure, at least for a week or even for a day to rent a snow-white beauty.
What are the advantages of motor boats?
They have high speed.
If you are in a hurry or have a lagoon race planned with friends, then a motorboat is the best choice. There is nothing extra on the deck, everything is smooth and comfortable, large spaces (again, it depends on the size of the yacht).
Attractive appearance
A yacht is considered an indicator of style, prestige, and for some, pathos. Chrome parts, white plastic, leather and wood inside. And then you can be proud of the photos in luxurious interiors.
One skipper needed
The one who is at the helm. Everyone else here is a passenger and can do whatever they want. Relax, chat, have fun, jump into the sea. The captain will handle the ship himself.
What Motor Yachts Can't Do
Limited to the navigation area
Large and expensive yachts can theoretically sail in almost any region. Everything depends on their seaworthiness. However, crossing the ocean requires a lot of fuel. And motor yachts are not designed to go far from the shore. There are too many dangers waiting for them there.
Withstand the storms
Motor yachts have low stability (the ability to return to their original vertical position when rocked), so waves can capsize and sink them.
Walk on an alternative energy source
Such boats have no other driving force except the engine. If something happens to the main engine, large vessels have a backup. But not every boat has such a backup.
Be useful to the environment
Diesel fuel is clearly not good for the sea.
If almost anyone can get behind the wheel of a motorboat and try to steer, then sailing vessels are treated with reverent awe. Some believe that only the chosen ones go sailing, or athletes who learned to steer a yacht from a young age. Others think that a sail is inaccessible, almost like a helicopter, and a motor yacht is comparable to a car. But everyone notes that they really want to go sailing.
What's good about sailing yachts
Appearance
Romantic white wings soar above the sea, the classic lines of the hull caress the eye. The stories of the Middle Ages immediately come to mind, when military campaigns, trade relations, and geographical discoveries were carried out under sail.
Again, the feeling of freedom and happiness comes to us when we see a sail. Few people can remain indifferent to it. Especially today, in the age of technical progress.
Historical value
On sailing ships, even after hundreds of years, the principles of control and sailing equipment have been preserved. You set the sail at a certain angle to the wind, you steer the boat with the rudder, you adjust the sails with the rigging, you use muscle power.
Health benefits
On a sailing yacht, the crew is constantly working. One helmsman cannot cope, he needs a team to adjust the sails (if we are talking about yachts over 5 meters in length). In the age of physical inactivity, physical labor is very valuable for any organism, and in combination with fresh sea air it has incredible benefits. And working in a team brings positive, even if you are on a boat for the first time.
Unlimited sailing region
Theoretically, sailing yachts can sail at any distance from the shore (but here the design features of the yachts play a role). Yachts with a false keel are capable of making ocean crossings. They can withstand storms, strong winds and large waves well. But they also sail across the oceans on catamarans, which do not have a keel, but have high transverse stability and practically do not rock.
Eco-friendliness
Powered by the natural force of the wind, sailing yachts do not harm the environment.
How sailboats are inferior to motorboats
Difficulty in management
Managing a boat with only sails, and especially mooring under sails, is very difficult. The captain and crew must be experienced.
Small strokes
The speed of sailing yachts is low. The average is about 100 miles per day. Wind is of great importance. In calm weather the yacht becomes uncontrollable and does not move.
Crew needed
Without a crew, a sailing yacht cannot go out to sea and return safely. People on a sailing vessel are of great importance. Especially trained and experienced
Sailing and motor yachts
They combine the advantages of sailing yachts, but can sail regardless of whether there is wind or not. They are also easier to handle when mooring, which always occurs under engine power.
But at the same time they maintain relatively small speeds, a crew is required and you need to be able to control such a yacht. Unlike driving a car, here you need to take into account many factors and understand aerodynamics, predict weather changes, and master the art of navigation. But with all this, traveling on sailing and motor yachts is close to the sea romance of old times. And everyone can feel like a sea person.
And so that the complexity of boat control does not scare you, I will say that the basics can be easily learned under the guidance of an experienced skipper. A master captain can go out for a walk at sea, provided the weather is good, even with a team of beginners, who will learn the necessary and basic things in the process. So, it is worth trying to discover the world of sail.
