Bill McKee wrote:
....


If your gas engine is running, you are a power boat! If you are in neutral,
engine running, you are a power boat,

Wrong! The propulsion system must be "used" for it to be a sailboat.
It is clearly true that if you see a sailboat, with the sails up,
making way as a sailboat, and not showing the steaming light or cone,
you must treat it as a sailboat.

And similarly, if you are being treated as a sailboat, it would be
best to behave in a consistent manner.

On the other hand, if you had an engine available for immediate use,
and failed to use it to avoid a collision, you'd have some serious
explaining to do! But, that would also be true even if the engine
wasn't running.

This does not mean, of course, that a sailboat under power can slip
into neutral anytime and suddenly claim rights as a sailor. But, if
an engine is running it doesn't mean it is automatically a powerboat.
For example, some engines require several minutes of warmup before
they can be engaged.