Hi dpons,

Yeah, I could have sworn we went over this one before, as well...

I'm forgetting the name of the harbor in Denmark, but I looked at the chart of the area at the time...

That helmsman might have had some skills, but he was extraordinarily lucky the wave they surfed in on came along when it did... When overtaken by a wave like that, in general during the first couple of seconds before the boat gains momentum and forward speed, the helm can be literally unresponsive... The rudder can be stalled, and the water in the wave so aerated, you're just at the mercy of where the wave wants to send you until the sleighride really begins... If that had all happened just a little bit later, closer to the breakwaters, could have been an entirely different outcome... I don't care how nonchalant the crew might have appeared in the video, there was no way in hell that maneuver was PLANNED...

The chart of that harbor showed plenty of sea room and water depth 'beyond' - i.e. downwind - of the harbor entrance... I think the far better approach, assuming there was a compelling reason to shoot that gap to begin with - would have been to have sailed past the entrance a good distance, and then made the approach by sort of crabbing slowly back upwind... Unfurl a bit of main, and basically forereach back up towards the entrance. Keeping the boat feathered into the breeze, making the approach very slowly, this has the advantage of being able to watch the pattern of the waves for awhile... I've sat off inlets in dicey conditions sometimes for 15-20 minutes or more before making the run, it can pay huge dividends... If he'd gotten that boat essentially hove-to or forereaching right off that harbor entrance, when the time was right and a bit of a lull presented itself, he could have simply fallen off and put the pedal to the metal...

Approaching an entrance like that, downwind in breaking seas, that's just nuts... And as others have noted, the presence of that guy on the foredeck is unfathomable... That guy at the wheel was nothing more than a helmsman, it would be a stretch to call him a 'Captain'... (grin)

best regards,

Jon