Yacht
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Yacht. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a decked pleasure vessel; a light and elegantly fitted-up vessel, used either for racing or for pleasure trips, or as an official or state vessel to convey royal personages or government officials from place to place. The rigs are various, and many pleasure yachts now have steam power as an accessory, or for use during calms. Racing yachts are built with very fine lines, enormous spars and sails, and have the hull deeply ballasted, thus sacrificing everything to speed. Yachts appear to have been used by the Dutch in the 16th century, and the English probably borrowed the idea from that nation. In 1604 such a vessel was built for Prince Henry of Whales and in 1660 and subsequently several were built for Charles II. The use of steam has been a great factor in the increase of interest in private yachts. The first recorded yacht race was one in which a vessel of Charles II. defeated a Dutch racer and one belonging to the Duke of York. The course was from Greenwich to Gravesend and back, and the stake 100 guineas ($500). The oldest British yacht club was formed at Cork, Ireland, and dates back at least to 1720. In 1812 the Royal Yacht Club of Eng- 466 land was organized. The New York Yacht Club, an outgrowth of a Hoboken sailboat club, was started with nine members. In the first stated match sailed by the club, the schooner "Cygnet" won. Little attention was paid in the United States to the building of yachts till 1846, when Commodore Stevens and his brother Edwin A. Stevens, built the "Maria." This vessel was the largest sloop-rigged pleasure craft up to that time. It was at first intended to send her to the World's Fair at London, in 1851, but the "America," designed by George Steers of New York, and built by the Stevens brothers, was ultimately chosen. Commodore Stevens crossed the Atlantic in the "America," and entered her in the race of Aug. 22, open to all yachts, for a $2,500 cup. The course was around the Isle of Wight and the "America" beat the whole field of 18 yachts by about 7 miles. On Aug. 28 she sailed a race with the English schooner "Titania" over a 40-mile course winning an overwhelming victory. The achievements of the American yacht had a marked effect on the work of British ship-builders. It was not till 1870 that an effort was made to regain the "America" cup. For a record of the races from 1870 to 1920 for that trophy see AMERICA'S CUP. On Sept. 28, 1901, the "Columbia" defended the cup against the "Shamrock II.," winning by 1 minute, 20 seconds in a race of 4 hours, 30 minutes, 24 seconds. Oct. 3, 1901, the same boats competing, a race of 3 hours, 12 minutes, 35 seconds, was won by the American yacht by 3 minutes, 35 seconds. In the race on the following day, the British yacht finished first in a race of 4 hours, 32 minutes and 57 seconds, but on a time allowance of 43 seconds, the "Columbia" won by 41. In 1903, Sir Thomas Lipton challenged for the third time, in the name of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, of Cork, Ireland. The New York Yacht Club named the latter part of Aug. as the time for the races. Aug. 22, the first decisive race was run, the New York Yacht Club boat being the "Reliance," built by the Herreshoffs, the English boat being the "Shamrock III." In this and in the two succeeding races, "Reliance" won. In 1920 Sir Thomas Lipton again challenged with the "Shamrock IV." The defender was the "Resolute," which from July 15th to 27th, 1920, won five out of seven races sailed. Several trans-Atlantic races have tested the seagoing qualities of modern yachts. In 1866 the schooners "Henrietta," "Fleetwing," and "Vista" raced from Sandy Hook to the Needles, Isle of Wight, for stakes amounting to $90,000. The "Henrietta" won in 13 days, 21 hours, 55 minutes, averaging 9½ knots for 3,106 miles, The "Fleetwing" sailed 3,005 miles, and the "Vista" 3,046 miles. On July 4, 1890, the schooners "Cambria" and "Dauntless" raced from Old Kinsale Head, Ireland, to Sandy Hook. The "Cambria" won. She sailed 2,881 miles in 23 days, 5 hours, 17 minutes. The "Dauntless" sailed 2,783 miles in 23 days, 7 hours. The schooners "Coronet" and "Dauntless" sailed a match race for $10,000 a side in 1887. The start was made off Bay Ridge, Long Island, on March_12, and the race ended at Queenstown, Ireland. The "Coronet" won. She sailed 2,949 miles in 14 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes. The "Dauntless" sailed 2,94 miles in 16 days, 1 hour, 43 minutes. In 1921 King Albert of Belgium awarded prizes for a series of races across the Atlantic for sailing vessels of all classes. A race between American and Canadian fishing vessels was held on Oct. 30-Nov. 1. off Halifax. The American schooner "Esperanto" defeated the Canadian "Delawana" in two races. Among the designers of American and British racing vessels John Harvey_and Beavor-Webb, of England, George Lennox Watson and William Fife, of Scotland, and Edward Burgess and N. G. Herreshoff, of New England, have been especially prominent.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
yot, a pleasure boat. The word is of Dutch origin, from yagen, to chase, and means a swift hunting vessel. The term is applied to a variety of ships propelled by wind, steam, or electricity. The term is somewhat indefinite. A yacht may be used for racing, cruising, or exploring, but not for carrying passengers or freight. Some yachts designed for inland waters are little larger than skiffs. Others, like the royal yacht of the emperor of Germany, are built for seagoing service. The word appears to have been introduced into England in connection with a boat given by the Dutch to Charles II in 1660. There are now in Great Britain about 120 yacht clubs. There are about 200 yacht clubs in the United States , with nearly 5,000 yachts. The oldest and most celebrated in this country is the New York Yacht Club organized in 1844. It contains a number of millionaire members whose yachts cost from $60,000 to $500,000 each. In 1851 the America crossed the Atlantic and entered for a race around the Isle of Wight, winning the race and the cup. This cup was set aside by its American owner as an international trophy. It is at present held in America. Sir Thomas Lipton, the importer of the Lipton teas, has spent what to most men would be a fortune in building yachts and attempting to lift the American cup. Yacht racing has been reduced to an exact science. Rules have been adopted covering almost every conceivable point of size, sails, starting, course, etc. The largest pleasure yachts are about 300 feet in length. The Niagara, owned by Howard Gould, cost him $500,000. During the yachting season its maintenance involves an expense of $10,000 a month. The most noted American yacht builders are the Herreshoffs of Bristol, Rhode Island . There are seven brothers--three are blind--all are designers and builders and sailors. They built the America, the Vigilant, the Defender, and the Columbia,--all winners in the cup races. They started in life with nothing but jackknives.