Yes, with severe gusts, all sailboats "heel" (bend over), sometimes so much that waves wash over the deck. It's just a part of sailing, and many sailors like it the most. Keelboats, on the other hand, have physics on their side when it comes to capsizing. The weight of the boat is focused at one point, and if that point dips below water level, the boat will flip. Sailboats are more likely to capsize than motorboats because they are not anchored to a shoreline or dock. If there is no wind or the wind isn't enough to push them along, they can start to head back toward land. Even with jib and mainsail, a well-balanced sailboat can still be difficult to control in heavy seas. A motorboat can be steered into almost any position, while a keelboat remains upright only because it has been built with good design and construction practices. The last thing you want is to be sitting in deep water with a non-capsizable vessel around! Most people think sailboats are easy to capsize, but this is not true. Even with little or no wind, a sailboat can still be extremely dangerous to handle because they are very prone to heeling over. The stronger the wind, the faster they will heel over.