That last sandbar was a third break, and what wiped out our team. As near as we could reconstruct, the breaking wave went through the tramp, ripping it off. It took a loooong time for our boat and sailors to get back to shore, and we worked well into the night rebuilding a boat.

As far as "sticking" to the tramp in that picture, keep in mind that they're pulling more than 1 gee as the boat is climbing through the wave, and the front beam is deflecting much of the force that would sweep the deck. That feeling is one I call "elevator UP!"

I'm glad nobody was hurt that morning - oh, and four boats, I think, made it out. The Canadian team subsequently wiped out in the re-entry at Cocoa and had to rebuild a boat with the rest of us... and it seems like one team dropped out somewhere in between checkpoints...