Regarding the Mexican ship accident

[Emrys]

37. Having spent a few weeks crewing a much smaller tall ship over the years,

a brig, some of it as yardsman, I haven't seen any reports of wind direction, which might have added to the problems laid out in the OP. I read somewhere that there was a breeze of around 10 m.p.h., but I don't know in what direction.

Even without the sails deployed, they still catch the wind - to the extent that if you know your ship's going to be docked for any length of time you carry out a full harbour stow, which involves furling them tightly and very neatly to the yard, as opposed to a sea stow, which can be a bit sloppier as you may need to furl the sails quickly for whatever reason, and may reckon the sails may have to be set again soon, often at short notice. The photos of the ship I've seen didn't show a conventional harbour stow.