On 3 Sep 2007 12:43:02 -0500, in message

Dave wrote:

You're beyond my area of expertise here, but if the principle is that a
power driven vessel is more capable than a sailing vessel of maneuvering to
avoid collision, and the vessel in question merely needs to push the
transmission control lever forward to start the prop spinning, it certainly
wouldn't be irrational to treat the sailing vessel running its engine to
charge batteries as a power driven vessel. The generator, on the other hand,
isn't connected to the prop, so the above reasoning wouldn't apply to it.

On the other hand, a vessel flying sails, even if under power, can be
subject to all the usual requirements for sailing handling while
maneuvering. If I am reaching along with a spinnaker up in twenty
knots of breeze, then the ability to put my engine immediately into
gear does not improve my options to avoid collision.

The information communicated by the conical day shape or the steaming
light is that one is able to maneuver as a power driven vessel. A race
boat charging batteries will give a misleading signal if they indicate
they're under power.

In the case of a modest sized sailboat scarcely moving under sail,
whether with engine on or off, the common sense course is for modest
sized power traffic to avoid it and for the sailboat to make sure it
stays out of the way of larger power traffic with depth and
maneuverability issues. Changes in course and speed like putting the
engine in gear may simply confuse the situation.

Ryk