Top end limit finally reached..

I was sailing a 420 in a mixed handicap event on the East Coast at the time.  Nearly every other boat was blown flat, wayfarers, a 400, 505s, Lasers all gone... my sister was taken ashore by the RNLI after capsizing a Miracle and being unable to recover- the rescue cover was that stretched.  I mean nearly every one was over when the squall filled in, including most of the 420s I was racing against.  Only a couple of twinkles stood up and one 505, who really wasn't that much further ahead of us.  The race was abandoned, but we deep out in the estuary by that point after a survival lap and still needed to get back in.  

I was very fortunate in that I had on board an exceptionally experienced crew, he called all the shots, wired slightly high to keep visuals and I just pointed us where he told me to.  My eyes were shut solid 50% of the time from salt spray and sunglasses were useless.  It was scary, but adrenaline, experience and survival instincts kept me as alert as possible.

We only peeved it in once on the kite hoist as I got washed out of the back of the boat when we took a wave over the bow- I was leaning back with my calves against the transom just to keep the nose out.  We went for the kite hoist again, against my better judgement/instinct, but my crew was right, it stabilised us downwind.  I think this was my first experience of apparent wind sailing, although it wasn't as technically defined as that, I simply recall the weird sensation of easing the guy forward dead downwind as I felt the hull drive forward faster and faster- all probably what 18 knots max speed??? 

I've sailed when 41 knot gusts were measured from the deck of a yacht at the top end of an estuary with clean wind and no significant waves and felt within my limits. Equally I've headed straight back in 25 knots of wind on an exposed coastline with a large, steep, waves. 

The famed 49er medal race is a prime example here (not wishing to start that rant however).