Timbo, I only hold onto the side stay while standing upright on the hull waiting for the puff and before I lean back (my arms are not that long ).

Yes, I keep my feet apart when I am on the wire. I wear harken sailing shoes and they give me good traction. I have found that you should keep your legs spread and don't necessarily lean aft but keep your balance centered. There have been times when I lean into the bow to keep from being pushed off the back of the boat when sailing in the ocean and the boat accelerates off the front of a wave.

When I was describing turning into the wind, I was talking about the times when the top of the mast is about to hit the water and the time to let the main out has passed. I am working on anticipating the puff so I don't have to go into recovery mode . Next time I am going to try to ease the traveler out so I can keep the shape of my main.