There is a picture of that Worrell (You say it was Jensen beach) where you can see a I-20 being hit by a breaking wave while the skipper is far back on the trampoline and on his knees facing back and fiddling with to get the rudders down. His crew is very far on the hull itself and way in front of the mainbeam. The crew is actually holding the bridle wires to keep himself on the boat. Of THAT crew I most definately said that they were stupid.
I can't find this particular picture easily but here is another one showing a crew near the bridle wire while the skipper is way back on the boat



So why is the decribed crew stupid ?

-1- The skipper wasn't paying attention to the oncoming breaking wave = stupid.
-2- The skipper is far back on the boat and on his knees; the precursors for capsizing backwards, being thrown off or ... (2 times stupid)
-3- Forcing his crew way out front in a really unpractical position. What will happen if the wave puts you in a tack ? The crew will be washed off the boat and then the skipper will have to navigate the surf all by himself = Stupid
-4- The skipper looked like his was trying to get his leeward rudder down as well. = stupid in a surf like that. The luff rudder you can save when you get pushed back by a quickly pulling on the tiller the leeward one will must like jam between sandbar and stern and either rip your stern out of break your rudder setup. = not smart. The stupid part about it that you waste FAR TOO MUCH time getting the leeward rudder down when you should be concentrating on picking up speed and spending as little time in the surf as absolutely necessary. And from memory I see that neither daggerbaord was in the wells, both were laying on the trampoline, but I could be wrong here. IF so than of course the crew was nowhere near them and without a little of the daggerboard sticking out under water you a very unbalanced boat than wants to luff all the time. Be smart and set a little daggerboard and just damaging that over flipping the whole boat and damaging the whole boat. If you are not willing to do that then DON'T go out.


Best way to deal with surf like these is

-1- Speed is EVERYTHING. You may even ride a wave under an angle as long as you have sufficient speed
-2- ride by steering on your sails and with only the help of the luff rudder. Keep the lee rudder out.
-3- Both crew in the luff hull and both near the mainbeam. NOT in front of it, NOT near the rearbeam and then just sail the boat. If they rudder kicks up but you still have speed than stay where you are and adjust you sail setting to keep speed and some form of steerage. Slowing the boat down and get to the rudders = STUPID, Getting the leeward rudder = DOUBLE STUPID
-4- If you have a jib then never uncleat is and have it pulling all the way. Steer, if you have to by sheeting in a out on the mainsail. Don't centre your main traveller, keep it out as well.
-5- Set as soon as possible the luff board. Even a little board in the water makes a noticeably difference and makes steering by the sails alot easier. Yes even 6 to 7 inches will make a difference and you only need water a foot deep to stay clear of the bottom that way.

Of THAT crew I said/wrote that they were handling the surf in a stupid way. And I will never retract my statements about that situation. If anybody thinks that this crew wasn't stupid then they are free to try to sail a big surf in the same way. Just make sure you have alot of green in the bank before doing it.

Wouter