I was beating into 20mph winds going toward Dunedin causeway on the inside. (just chop) . When my crew starts worrying about the clouds looming ahead of us. I tell her it doesn't look so threatening and we keep going, then I notice whitecaps breaking on the inside (intercoastal bay) ....unusual, and I see the sand on the causeway lift about 45ft in the air. I'm like what it wrong with the beach......uh oh. Crew says, I think we better turn around now.
It is now upon us very hard (solid 35mph gust), and I tell her yep we are turning around but it aint gonna be pretty.
I jived that sucker around and told her to hold on. What a ride! Traveled all out, downhual down tight. main sheet out pretty much. Had shallow water with rudders kicking up, tiller came off one of the rudders (the rubber connecter came apart in my frenzy to get rudders down). Had to steer with minumal rudder and mainsail. Scary but fun. Imagine doing 20mph going straight downwind.