You didn't trim the sails?

actually, later while we waited several hours for the towboat to show up I did
in fact adjust the sails so that we were sailing (about 1/4 knot, maaaaybe 1/2
knot) towards the port the towboat was coming from. the hired captain adjusted
the sails so that we were heading away from port. I readjusted the sails and
was again making weigh towards port (we had the barest hint of winds, not even
enough to cause ripples on the water). This time the hired captain took the
sails down, wrapped sails around them and put on the sail cover on the main,
all -- he said -- to keep the sails from tearing. I then sat and waited for
what turned out to be a total of five (or six? or more?) hours for the towboat
to arrive.

Jaxie, you
better quit, you're making this worse with every telling!

jeggies, it was not my boat, and I was not the hired captain. what do expect I
should have done? hit the hired captain over the head with a winch handle?