A footstrap will keep you attached to the back, where you need to be if you don't want to pitchpole on a stuff. Take a good look at the excellent Spitfire video where the 3 boats are showing off under that bridge in 20+ winds. You will see them repeatedly stuff the bows and save it, becuase they stayed at the back of the boat. The couple of times the do pitch pole is when their feet slip out of the straps and the crew slides forward.

I have had this happen to me several times on the Inter 20. The only times I ever pitchpolled were when the crew's foot slipped out of the strap and they flew forward, around the bow, over you go. As long as you can stay at the back of the boat you can usually save it. Without a foot hold back there, you are going to do the Peter Pan.

When I sailed Matt's Blade with him driving, I was out on the wire trimming the spinnaker, we would occaisionally stuff the low bow. I had me toes stuffed into the space between his back side and the rear beam, still I nearly lost my grip and almost flew. But we were able to save it, the bow popped right back up and on we went. The feeling of security back there when you are firmly anchored to the boat will allow you to push the boat harder, and save it more often, than without straps.

I have heard some say, "You don't need them, just bear off more and go deeper, you are trying to go to the C mark anyway, so go deeper, sit on the tramp, don't even go out on the wire downwind." Well, that might work most of the time, in medium wind, but when it gets wild and you need to be out there to hold the hull down, of if you have to reach up for a B mark, or to go around traffic, it's nice to have something to anchor your foot into.