09/06/2026
That gleaming superyacht in Monaco? It started life as a pirate hunter.
"Yacht" comes from the Dutch "jacht."
Short for "jachtschip."
A hunting ship.
A chasing ship.
1600s. The Dutch built them fast, light and shallow, perfect for running down pirates and smugglers in their coastal waters. Not luxury. A weapon.
Then it went soft.
In 1660 the Dutch gave Charles II a yacht, the Mary (as in the image), to mark his return to the throne.
He loved it, raced it, and the English aristocracy followed.
Within a generation the chase ship had become a rich man's plaything.
So the word drifted. From the hunt, to the harbour, to the holiday.