Which craft is a 'power-driven vessel' under the Rules?

Which craft is a 'power-driven vessel' under the Rules?

• A. A canoe propelled by a small outboard motor
• B. A trawler on her way to the fishing grounds
• C. A sailing ketch with no engine
• D. An auxiliary sailing vessel, using her engine

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that a power-driven vessel is any craft that is propelled by machinery, such as an engine, for its propulsion. It doesn’t matter if the vessel also has sails or oars—the engine in use makes it power-driven. The scenario described as an auxiliary sailing vessel using her engine is the clearest illustration of this rule. It explicitly states that the engine is being used to propel the vessel, so it fits squarely into the category of power-driven vessels under the Rules. The other scenarios are less direct in how they present propulsion. A sailing vessel with no engine isn’t using power for propulsion at that moment, so it isn’t power-driven. A canoe with a small outboard motor would indeed be propelled by machinery, but the example of an auxiliary sailing vessel using its engine provides a straightforward, textbook instance of engine propulsion in a vessel that otherwise sails.

The main idea is that a power-driven vessel is any craft that is propelled by machinery, such as an engine, for its propulsion. It doesn’t matter if the vessel also has sails or oars—the engine in use makes it power-driven.

The scenario described as an auxiliary sailing vessel using her engine is the clearest illustration of this rule. It explicitly states that the engine is being used to propel the vessel, so it fits squarely into the category of power-driven vessels under the Rules.

The other scenarios are less direct in how they present propulsion. A sailing vessel with no engine isn’t using power for propulsion at that moment, so it isn’t power-driven. A canoe with a small outboard motor would indeed be propelled by machinery, but the example of an auxiliary sailing vessel using its engine provides a straightforward, textbook instance of engine propulsion in a vessel that otherwise sails.