Note: Careful coming into the beach like this ... as you'll be heading downwind, you'll snuff the spi and then want to round up into the wind and "drift" back into the shallows...if you don't lift your tiller extension out of the water (onto the tramp) it'll dig into the shallow bottom and get "tucked under your boat ... putting alot of pressure on the tiller crossbar. Do this a time or two and you'll put undo strain on the single weak spot--the bolt hole for the tiller extension.

This happened to me--at GYC sailing to the first race under spi (tiller in the water, steering by the crossbar). Crossbar failed at the bolt hole and my hot stick was lost to sea. The rest of the story was fun while I tried to figure out how to douse my spi while the boat wanted to round up ... and two half tiller crossbars trailing behind each stern of the boat....

Fortunately, I made it to shore, got replacement parts (thanks Matt) and made it out to the first race just in time!