What can be learned from these 4 major accidents at sea?

Accident reports make sobering reading, but if we want to sail downwind safely, then it pays to learn from gybes gone wrong, says Rachael Sprot

There are few incidents on board more destructive than a crash gybe. The power unleashed when the wind catches the wrong side of the mainsail is hard to overstate, and the speed with which it occurs makes evasive action impossible in the moment.

There have been several tragic accidents involving crash gybes in the last 20 years which...