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wrote:
... I have been struck by how
often and for how long cruising sailors report they are under
engine power. From what I have read, it would appear that sailors are
under engine power for something in the 80-90% range.

This depends to an extent on how one defines sailing, or cruising, or both.
I suspect the majority of sailboat owners are weekenders whose calendar is
not their own. This means getting back to work on Monday, etc., and that
means diesel. The same constraints apply to ICW travelers who want to make
the requisite 50 miles each day to keep on "schedule" and get where it's
warm.

On an offshore trip things change, and if you are heading over to Bermuda or
beyond, you get more concerned with comfort, safety, and other creature
comforts, and "flopping along" in light air doesn't seem much of a hardship.
I cannot power all the way to Bermuda, but my little boat has sailed there
several times with no ill effects. This isn't an either or thing. If you
are running from Charleston down to Saint Mary's Entrance offshore, I don't
think you will want to sit around and wait for wind when things go light

I must say that the only time I remember motoring past a boat under sail in
light air is when daysailing in protected waters. Make no mistake about it:
that diesel is what makes sailing possible for the vast majority of cruising
sailors.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/