page_title: Yacht
section_title: Racing
hierarchical_section_title: Yacht / Sailing yachts / Racing
caption_attribution_description: English: Comanche in the Rolex Transatlantic Race 2015 leaving Newport RI for Plymouth England. Designed by VPLP and Guillaume Verdier, Built by Hodgdon Yachts, East Boothbay, Me. ©Billy Black 401.683.5500
context_page_description: A yacht is a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, so the term applies to such vessels that have a cabin with amenities that accommodate overnight use. To be termed a yacht, as opposed to a boat, such a pleasure vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet in length and have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities.
  The Commercial Yacht Code classifies yachts 79 ft and over as large. Such yachts typically require a hired crew and have higher construction standards. Further classifications for large yachts are: commercial—carrying no more than 12 passengers, private—solely for the pleasure of the owner and guests, or by flag, the country under which it is registered. A superyacht generally refers to any yacht longer than 131 ft.
  Racing yachts are designed to emphasize performance over comfort. Charter yachts are run as a business for profit. As of 2020 there were more than 15,000 yachts of sufficient size to require a professional crew.
context_section_description: Racing yachts emphasize performance over comfort. World Sailing recognizes eleven classes of racing yacht.
caption: Racing yacht, Comanche, beginning a 2015 transatlantic race
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "5454", "Image ImageLength": "3636", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image ImageDescription": "Comanche in the Rolex Transatlantic Race 2015 leaving Newport RI for Plymouth England.", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark III", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Macintosh)", "Image DateTime": "2015:12:07 15:22:00", "Image ExifOffset": "368", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1054", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4463", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/500", "EXIF FNumber": "9", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "160", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "160", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2015:07:05 14:17:03", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2015:07:05 14:17:03", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "1120723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "126797/20000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "400", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1800", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1200", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "3", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "192029001078", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[100, 400, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "3030000466"}