I said work the traveler (as in, treat it like a sheet), not ease it as a gross adjustment.

I'm not capable of it (or skilled at it) either, but apparently it works well for some teams at the upper echelons of Hobie 16s. Crew holds the main sheet, skipper pumps the traveler. Keeps the boat flat, and more importantly fast, as you're not dumping wind out of the sail, but squeezing it out the back.

There are very few American teams that actually do this, however. May just be that we don't practice or race in enough wind consistently?

Mike