There are just some failures that don't have an quick solution. The ncontrol surfaces on a boat like the J/46 have a quadrant that has a single turn from nuetral (mid-ships) to hard over. If you have relatively skimpy rudder (which wouldn't be as effective), then it is obviously easier to move by 'hand' -- but it also isn't as effective.

I'm what broke in this case. It would appear that what happened was pretty extreme. In a lesser boat, there may have been a shaft that broke or was bent -- in which case, they would have just had to create a jury rig. If it was the quadrant or the cable /block connections, then it would a different situation. You would have had "clear" the blockages of what remained before you could use the emergency 'tiller' contols, wouldn't you?