“Powered vessels are supposed to give way to sail powered vessels ~ presumably an aircraft carrier should yield to a sunfish sailboat but they rarely do ~ it’s the maneuverability thing.”
Wrong! The burdened vessel ALWAYS has the right of way. And that applies to all boats, ships, dingies, all water craft regardless of motive power. Sail boat vs container ship = sail boat yields.
An aircraft carrier is NOT more maneuverable than a sunfish sailboat. Measure an aircraft carrier’s turning radius - most of a kilomenter - measure a sunfish sail boat’s radius - several meters. The sunfish is the more maneuverable and thus the carrier is the burdened vessel and has the right of way.
You get into as many quibbles over "burdened" and "nonburdened" as you do "sail" and "powered".
As I noted, aircraft carriers are not terribly maneuverable ~ and that applies whether or not they are "burdened" or are just empty hulks being towed to scrap.
Sailboats of any size are certainly not safe around them.
Ever challenge a barge on the Ohio with a rooster tail?
I always thought the "burdened vessel" was the "give way vessel."
I don’t know if this rule applies in international waters, but in New Hampshire there is a rule that...
If operating a power-driven vessel, you must give way to a vessel engaged in commercial fishing.