Originally posted by Rhapsody:

If something else than rowing or sails could actually move the boat, maybe. But then that would mean potentially losing the ship if the anchor was not lowered or if someone wanted to grief a bit and intentionally raise it. In short, not really needed for anything right now.

or maybe you were being sarcastic, because of course boats do float away, storms take them if you have not surrounded them with poles, and I would like to be able to recover bodies lost at sea without having to do some crazy dance or recruit a friend.