This is what we came up with one summer night after a day of windsurfing: Pour several bottles of beer into old fiberglass one-piece masts, then carefully tip the mast to pour the beer into your mouth. Repeat.
Beginners should hose the mast out first before adding beer until you develop a tolerance for the sandy clumps stuck deep down the spar. After you've done this a few times you'll find the sand doesn't matter.
Raise gently.
Someone who knows wave theory may care to expound on why (no matter how slowly you tilt the mast) the moment comes when a breaking wave explodes out of the base and into your face. The discerning mast drinker will hear the telltale rush of oncoming foam, close his or her eyes, and open wide.
In my opinion this beats board tossing any day. Try on windless days, too. We did this two at a time, the idea being…well I don't remember what the idea was (shocking) but it seems like a self-evidently worthwhile thing to do.
(Photos from the original Puffin House, circa 1993. That's Jay with the face full of foam while the editor looks on approvingly)
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