On 18 Dec 2005 18:30:01 -0800, "markvictor"
wrote:

That was a highly maintained
heavy full keeled vessel, but alas, it was powerless after losing the
main..
Nothing like an accident waiting to happen....

==========================================

That was kind of a special situation where they lost power at a
particularly inopportune moment, right at the breakwater entrance as I
recall. It's not clear to me that "get home power" would have saved
them in the split seconds they had available.

By my definition, all sailboats have "get home power". It's called
the wind, and if that fails there's always the anchor or the dinghy.
I've motored 40 footers weighing 20,000 lbs into the dock with a
dinghy and 2 hp outboard strapped along side. It works in calm
conditions, otherwise you anchor and wait it out.

My comment was directed more at single engine power boats in the 25 to
40 foot range since twin engine boats have get home power by
definition. A single engine boat in the 25 to 40 foot range is too
big for an outboard kicker on a stern bracket to be really effective,
and therefore needs a much more expensive inboard solution with
secondary shafts, feathering props, etc. Considering that the expense
of such an installation is likely to be in the $20 to $30K range, a
$120/year SeaTow membership and good maintenance practices are likely
to be much more cost effective. The guys who *really* need get home
power are single engine power boats who are out 20 or more miles from
assistance and beyond SeaTow range.