Jim,I neglected to ask if your sailboat has a fireaxe aboard.If your sailboat is damaged they are neccessary for clearing debri, such as a shivered mast that can induce capsizing or (god forbid) escaping a capsized boat with blocked hatches.Axes are a fearsome weapon in the close quarters of a ship!We once tried to stop a belligerent boat that had rammed another boater. He ignored our hails until I used the line throwing rifle to punch a big hole in his flying bridge and put my seaman aboard with our ships axe.The guy came lurching through a hatch with a shotgun,slammed the barrel and stock into the bulkhead and got the butt end of the axe poked into his nose! Im assuming you've read Farley Mowat's THE BOAT THAT WOULDN'T FLOAT for inspiration!<br><br>