Of all the hundreds of types of pleasure craft, large and small, that you can see on any given day in any given body of water, you may rest assured that the one that will draw your eye will invariably be a classic sailing yacht. And this is the case not only with sailors, who can be presumed to recognize a yachts pedigree; the rankest landlubber almost always reacts the same way, in the universal spontaneous appreciation of beauty that we all feel when confronted with it. This book, then, is dedicated to a celebration of that beauty, that indescribable quality that makes a sailing yacht a "classic" in the truest sense of the word. We will begin by defining, or attempting to define, just exactly what a classic yacht is. We will review and discuss some of the typical factors we should consider: design, materials, vintage, size, and builder. Also discuss how different countries - and different builders within one country - developed individual solutions to common problems, as well as investigating the events and trends that led to those problems. This attempt at defining the meaning of "classic" will lead to the inescapable conclusion that, when applied to yachts, the word encompasses a remarkably broad range of parameters. A 50-meter steel gaff schooner is no more a classic than a perfectly proportioned small one-design such as a Herreshoff 12-1/2. In between those two extremes there is a world of beautifully crafted sailing yachts that truly illustrate our argument. The main body of the book will be devoted to classic sailing yachts, chosen to represent various aspects of the genre in its most interesting, most challenging, and certainly most beautiful manifestations. Each chapter will be dedicated to a specific boat, providing an in-depth analysis of her background, design, construction, and sailing characteristics. Also included in each chapter will be several other similar yachts, in order to provide a contextual frame of reference. Clearly, no book of this type can exist without the visual stimulus provided by gorgeous photography, just as no sailing yacht can be fairly described without illustrating why we consider her to be a classic, a timeless nautical work of art. The background descriptions will enhance the readers enjoyment of the images, providing a more thorough appreciation of the beauty displayed. The book will give the reader a comprehensive understanding of the concept of classic yachts, how to appreciate both looking at them and sailing on them, and ultimately simply provide a basis for enjoying them on a more knowledgeable basis.