At one of the really huge 200 boat Hobie Regattas back in the day- at St. Pete Beach in front of the pink Don Cesar Hotel, spinnaker sailing began late afternoon off a really big boat, with the wind up. There was the usual 30 minutes of upsy-downsies, which looked pretty fun (girls screaming). A big puff inverted the chute, propelling the intrepid bosun's chair rider STRAIGHT UP- double the height of the mast, looking like 150 feet off the water. He hung Waaaaayy up there for a bit then began free fall and I was sure he was going to hit hard and be very dead. There was even time to comment during his descent! Fortunately the chute filled enough at the last second so his legs skimmed the water and up he went again!
The event was then curtailed. I can recall no recurrence. This was 1975 and it might have been the actor Buddy Ebsen's boat. The bosun's chair may have to have been washed off before being put away.