that the mast remained in one piece that day is pretty awesome... I presume the boat didn't wash to shore on it's side...?
It did actually wash ashore on it's side. One of my last efforts before getting separated was to start the boat turning so the mast was pointed offshore and wouldn't go pogo and break. I got my hand caught in the rudder casting in a wave and thought I was going to break some bones and jerked myself free...but a little too far free. I was already gassed from trying to work the boat through the waves up to that point and then to try and get it turned and I just couldn't get back to the boat. I remember thinking, "aaahhh...I'll just float back in". I bobbed on my back for a while waiting to recharge some energy while getting pummeled by waves before I turned and looked toward shore. I was a little shocked at how far I had to go to get back and wishing that I had tried harder to stay with the boat. I started a gradual backstroke so I could see the waves coming and it seemed like an eternity before I got back to shore.
I got lucky that the boat rotated just enough before I let go. We broke five or six battens, ripped the main, and tore the jib traveler off the self tacker (I think Frank landed on the jib when the wave knocked us backwards...he was belly down on the deck hanging onto the spin pole and the chicken line trying to keep the bow down in the waves).
I had literally just exclaimed "one more wave and we got it!". I saw the opposing wave out of the corner of my eye just before two waves clapped together under the bow from different angles, exploded vertically, and somersaulted the boat backwards. It was massively quick and launched Frank. He hit his head on the spreaders.