Yesterday when Xander and I were in the car, we were driving along the Maas and saw a yacht going by. Then we got to discussing yachts and boats and how great it must be to have one.
I made a comment about how it would be nice to go for a ride in a yacht someday or how nice it would be to rent one for a week, after which he promptly corrected me that one does not RIDE in a boat, they SAIL.
I argued that it’s only sailing if the boat actually has sails. Otherwise it’s a ride. I wouldn’t consider it sailing if I was in a yacht with no sails and a motor, but he disagrees vehemently and said that anytime you are in ANY boat, you are sailing.
I asked why people say that they are going for a boat ride then, and not a boat sail. He huffed and rolled his eyes and dismissed me as being silly and argumentative but I thought it was a pretty good point!
So, what do YOU do on a boat with no sails? Are you still sailing or are you riding in a boat. I’m curious to hear what other people think of this!
Filed Under: Randoms
Well Tammy, after reading your Sail or Ride comment… I started to have the same argument with Anthony over it :-) he agrees with Xander while i agree with you.
He said it was only in North America where the use “going for a boat ride” (so he does agree a little with you).
Considering Xander learned English in Ireland and you are Canadian you are probably both right…. :-D …. i guess that would help to bury the hatched.
Simone
Wow this is a great debate. The only thing I can think of was going to Dictionary.com and looked up sailing. Quite a few different definitions, but some that caught my eye were the following:
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary
“the activity or sport of navigating a ship or boat that has sails”
American Heritage Dictionary
“The sport of operating or riding in a sailboat”
“To travel by water in a vessel”
It is possible that the both of you are right, and of course me being from Canada I have to agree with your side of the debate where you are only sailing when the sails are up and the wind is your guide. I mean why else would they call it a sail boat?
I dunno in that part of the world but i’m going with Tammy on this one. If it has a sail its a sail boat and using the term”sailing”. A boat without sails your going for a ride on the boat. If ur on a ferry are you sailing ? lol
There’s my 2 cents for all its worth lol I’ve gotta get off my butt and get ready for work. Have a good day u guys!
Breigh,
I have to agree with you on this one.
If a boat is primarily powered by a motor and not by sails then it is acceptable to use the term ride and or drive for that matter.
Yachts, ships, ferries, speed boats and most fishing boats all fall under this category.
Either way though the idea of sailing or riding around in a yacht for a week still sounds nice.
If a boat has sails, you’re sailing. If you’re using a motor/engine to power you along, IMO, that’s going for a ride. I’ve gone boating many times because my dad owns a boat as does my uncle. I’ve never once said we’re going sailing since the boats don’t have sails.
I know nothing about sailig because like you I don’t own a boat, but my co-worker is an avid _________?
I went and ask him, “Do you sail on your boat?” He said, “no, I am not a sailor and my boat doesn’t have sails”. So what is it you do when you take it out? He said, “I go boating”. What if you go out on a big yath, I’m still going boating, but some people call it power boating. So what if you go in a big ship? He said, like a cruise ship… yes… then you cruise.
So I guess here it all revolves around boating, or a variation of.
Way I see it, you are winning although your husband may be partly right, I still don’t know.
I met a random at the pub last Friday who worked on a supply ship for an oil rig. He was on shore leave. Although he worked solely on powered vessels he always referred to his trips as ‘sailing’. “I sailed to Singapore” or “we don’t sail too close to the rig”.
So I agree with Xander. The man I spoke to was a professional.
That’s a good one. I say different things, depending on the type of vessel:
I went yachting/speedboating/boating/sailing/etc. I also say ‘I went for a cruise…’
But I also rode a ferry to work for years, I don’t think I used any other expression for that. On BC Ferries’ onboard announcement I think they refer to it as ‘sailing’ on the ferry, even though it’s only powered by motor.
Gah! I think Xander just likes to wind you up :)
Oh, and I also say, “I went for a boating trip” or “I went for a boat trip”, just to further muddy the waters, haha.
The argument wasn’t really about what a boat does, rather what you do ON a boat. I don’t disagree that you’d say that a ferry or cruise ship ‘sets sail’ at a certain time… but you don’t SAIL on a cruise ship or a ferry. You ride on one. hehe
Cracking me up here. Seriously the things you think of.
When I on a boat with sails I say I am going sailing. When I am on boat without sails, I say I am going for a ride, as in we rode the boat to the Kinderdijk.
The term for going out in a boat with no sails is “Cruising”. Yachts are are called Cruisers. The large area that is like a platform above the windows of the Cruiser is called the “Fly Deck”. Where you walk to the tip of the front is called the “Walk-around”. The wide part at the back over the propellers is the “Rear”, “Stern”, or “Deck”.
I don’t know anything about sailing, but my family are Cruisers here on Lake Ontario in Canada.
I agree with Lynn – the correct term for riding on a boat that is powered by an engine is “cruise”. The person operating the helm is “driving” or “piloting”, while the passengers are merely “cruising”. While being driven, a cruiser is “under power”.
I say “boat ride.”
I’m usually in (not on) a boat, and I’m rowing…..