I had a huge pitchpole this year with my Tiger and I agree, it was impressive.

We were screaming on a reach, my crew was handling the main and I was bearing down in each puff, we were really smoking: I had one foot in my footstrap on the back (behind the tiller bar), my crew with one leg betwen mines, so we were maximum back, when a good gust hit. I shout "easy with the main" to my crew as the boat accelerated hard and the bow began to burry. There was only less than one inche of the bow left out the water, when, inside the gust there was another one, bigger.

The boat instantly stopped by going to the bottom like a submarine. We flew in the air, vertically. I remember feeling the bungee cord of the trapeze breaking and I said to myself (flying) "something broke". When I got out of the water to get a breath, I WAS AT THE TOP OF THE MAST!. What a flight. My crew was even further. We looked at each other, and realizing that nobody was hurt we laughed a good time. A fisherman passing by (he must have think that we were crazy) could bring me back my crew as he was separated from the boat drifting too fast.

I have to admitt it was scary, but it was fun too: good experience. Nothing except the trap bungees got broken, we had some house cleaning done on the boat then got back to the beach.

Well, now, on a reach with a gusty wind I am more carefull.