answersLogoWhite

0

It derives from the Dutch word jacht, meaning 'hunt'. In Jacobean times, the Dutch Coastguard used to use lightweight, fast sailing vessels to apprehend pirates, smugglers and blockade-runners, so 'yacht' is an English corruption of the word.

When Charles II used such a vessel to make his triumphant return to England in 1660 at the Restoration, the term came to be used for vessels used to carry important personages.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?