The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CLIPPERS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
C
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More clues leading to the result CLIPPERS
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Sailing boats/cutters" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sailing boats/cutters = clippers.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CLIPPERS mean?
CLIPPERS noun- Anything that clips.
- (chiefly in the plural) A tool used for clipping something, such as hair, coins, or fingernails.
- Something that moves swiftly; especially:
- The Asian butterfly Parthenos sylvia, family Nymphalidae.
- A circuit which prevents the amplitude of a wave from exceeding a set value.
- A person who mutilates coins by fraudulently paring the edges.
- Confidence trickster; conman.
- A tool for clipping something.