Explained best by past Beam Reach students.

“As each wave came up from behind us we would surf atop it and catch more wind from our height, reaching peak speeds of over 11 knots. It was unbelievably cool. …. the whales taking a back seat for the moment to the excitement of riding the wind. At some point some one put a beach boys compilation on and general mayhem ensued. God, what fun we were having.”
Brett Becker

“….we let out the sails and began our training in tacking. We were quickly involved in high winds and rain. It was so much fun! Gato Verde hit some waves that had the water crashing over the bow of the boat….”
Celia Barroso

“amidst the chaos of the waves and rain, Laura (another student — and quite a cool one at that) and Val (one of my super awesome profs) decided to place themselves in the heart of the chaos by sitting at the bow of the boat in the trampoline net. Fancy this; a huge swell totally submerged them!.... but, just when you felt like a soggy pretzel, here come 12 or so Dall's porpoises riding our bow!!....I could look over the side of the boat and see them swimming close to the surface and they would jump out of the water right in front of us!”
Nicole Lee