The Yachting Oral History Project at Mystic Seaport was established in 1986 for the purpose of collecting and preserving interviews with individuals who have achieved prominence or have had extensive involvement in the field of yachting and boating.

The collection includes interviews with many of the designers, builders, racing skippers, crewmembers, and cruising yachtsmen who have dominated the sport since the 1920s. Some of the narrators have had sailing or boating experience which pre-dates the First World War.

All major aspects of yachting and boating, under both sail and power, are well represented in the contents of these interviews. Yacht design, construction, racing and cruising are discussed in considerable detail. Sailboat racing is documented extensively, including competitive sailing's premier event, the America's Cup Races. Interviews with individuals who participated in this event as early as 1930 are included. Other narrators were participants in major long distance ocean races or in Olympic sailing competition. Powerboats are documented in interviews with individuals who designed, built, and raced them. Also described in detail are the activities and history of the sport's most significant organizations and institutions, including major yacht clubs, cruising organizations, and organizations responsible for the administration of yacht racing.

The geographical scope of these interviews is broad. There is considerable emphasis on historically significant sailing centers such as Long Island Sound and Marblehead, Massachusetts. However, yachting and boating activity on the West Coast, in Florida, and on the Great Lakes and other inland bodies of water is represented as well.

It should also be noted that yachting history, as documented in this collection, has significance beyond the realm of sport or recreational activity. The subject of vessel design and construction provides a good illustration of this point. Major changes in vessel construction methods and materials are well documented in the yachting interviews. Also, many of the designers and builders responsible for the creation of yachts and pleasure craft produced commercial or government vessels as well, such as fishing boats, naval vessels, Coast Guard patrol boats, and various types of work boats. In addition, yacht construction has helped perpetuate traditional boatbuilding skills, particularly wooden boat construction.