My running out of gas story was so stupid that I still can't believe it, many years later. Our daysailer was almost new, and had an outboard motor that we used to sail out of our marina before hoisting sails. The motor required opening a valve in the gas cap before starting it. On this occasion, we set sails, tipped up the motor so it wouldn't drag in the water while sailing, and I forgot to close the gas cap valve. As we sailed over the next few hours, the gas all drained out of the tipped-over engine. As it often happens on a summer day, the wind died, and we needed to motor in if we were going to beat sundown. That's when I discovered I was out of gas. Had it not been for a generous power boater who gave me a tow, my family and I probably would be there still.