That is actually not the case.
Sailboats have right of way over powered vessels, just as gliders have right of way over powered aircraft in the pattern.
But all powered vessels observe the rules of the road at sea, no matter what size.
Whose to say the capabilities of another vessel you only see on radar? Do you assume he has less power hence has right of way? Vice-versa?
A mega-horsepower freighter and a fraction of the horsepower ski boat encounter - who has right of way, the under powered but much more nimble ski boat, or the mega-horsepower but can't get out of its own way freighter?
Dictated by the rules of the road (in a legal sense. Common sense says the nimble ski boat stays the hell out out of the way of the freighter that can run it down without notice.).
Sailing vessels/platforms do NOT have the right of way in shipping lanes, despite the sometimes fatal misapprehension that they do. All sailing vessels are also required to observe and practice the rules of the road. Common sense often does not apply to recreational boaters of any stripe.