The two worst sailing disasters in the US in recent years both occurred in offshore sailing races that began in California in April of 2014. In the first, on April 14, the boat Low Speed Chase capsized while approaching too close to the Farallones Islands, with seven sailors being washed overboard resulting in five fatalities. Two weeks later, the boat Aegean apparently ran into North Coronado Island off the coast of Mexico while running on autopilot, resulting in the deaths of all four sailors onboard. In both cases the sailors were experienced and had typical safety gear onboard, and in both cases apparent poor judgment was cited as one of the primary causes. Additional factors are also mentioned in the US Sailing investigations, but most sadly, both tragedies could have been prevented. These reports emphasize what all sailors, on all boats everywhere, should know: the water can be a dangerous place and the principles of safety should never be overlooked at any time.
