Yes, there were several methods used to combat the high surf/light headwinds that year, some with dismal results. There are rather significant differences in sailing characteristics between a H-14 and an I-20, but I have to say that standing up while the boat is getting thrown on to a broad reach in 6 ft surf is pretty ballzy.

What seemed to work was to throw all the weight forward (of the beam in certain circumstances)as the bows clear the crest of the wave to keep them from going straight up and wind catching the tramp. Then, as the boat is kicked over onto a reach, get those rudders powered again and drive up the next face. Getting hit by the second wave while stalled and pointing parallel to the beach seemed to cause the most damage. Flying a hull prior to going up the face seemed to complicate things with those high aspect daggarboards (absent on the H-14).

As I suck at surfing, too, I think they would be a wealth of information at learning how to time the sets, pick the portions of the wave with the least power (which is what you WANT, since less power means less chance of upset), and how to pick a course through that crap (since they have to paddle through it).