I agree the sailors on the boat were too far back - I am the one, not visible, under the crashing wave. However, we were in this position because the 6.0 to our left had rounded us up almost into irons and I was trying to fend off the boat to avoid damage. We did end up having to come back to the beach because we were eventually pushed head to wind.

The comment I made regarding eliptical hulls was in response to where someone made a claim that this shape aids in getting through the surf.