Bret has but a lot of miles on that boat and it's not the first time a Marstrom 20 has done a coastal race (I think Carla Scheifer has done three with hers?). The lack of a jib is one thing but the boat is designed to be uni-rig, double handed. It's main sail balance is setup a little more forward to compensate for the lack of a jib. Now, having a little sail closer to the bow would help put a little more power on getting through the waves but that is probably minor compared to the fact that the boat is feather light for a double handed 20 footer. There is very little inertia to push through the waves when launching. This is the one time when boat weight is your friend. Try launching a Nacra 20 through waves and then do the same thing on an A-cat. It's a pretty dramatic difference how the boat weight affects the wave impact.