BoatBanter.com - View Single Post

Wayne.B

On Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:37:22 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

If water is being discharged in the spot where
most boats would assume is where an engine discharges water, then the
logical conclusion would be that my engine is engaged.

The logical conclusion is that a pump is running.

Casady

Right.. but most people would associate that with the engine, especially if
it's pretty constant and puffing steam from time to time.

I too would go by the steam and conclude an engine is running, true
enough.

Whether or not a sailboat is "sailing" or under power is a judgement
call and has nothing to do with exhaust or water flow. The boat is
probably under power if:

- It is going dead into the wind with sails luffing for some extended
period of time.

- It is making good speed in light air with only the mainsail up.

For the purposes of collision avoidance the boat has to be treated as
under sail regardless, but if I believe a boat is under power I'll
stand on as long as prudent and use horn signals or a radio call if
intentions are unclear.

The real fun starts when a sailboat clearly under power suddenly
alters course and starts to cross your bow from the port side. It
happens more often than you'd think. If admonished, more often than
not the sailboat will repond with a burst of profanity directed
towards power boaters in general.