I started out carrying my gear on my head. I carried the whole kit upside down (foil to the sky, board on top of the sail) on my head. It worked really well and kept the foil away from me and everything clear of the water. But my neck said stop and I listened before I got hurt.
There is a lot of footage with pro sailors placing the foil in front of their gut and holding the fuse right behind the wing to control it. I know nothing about race gear, and I want to respect those that do but I just think about what could happen when the wave overpowers you and the foil gets driven sharp edge into you.
Now I use a bottom handle but it all can be done by grabbing the mast near the board. I walk out tail first with the board under one arm and floating on its side. It slices right through the white water because on its side its only 6" wide. I turn my body sideways as much as I can. I fly the sail with the other hand. Sail hand on the top side of the boom at first then switches to the underside of boom to keep it above water as you get deeper.
With the board on its side under your arm in bigger swell you often get floated by crest before it is deep enough in the troughs to get started. Then I resort to upside down board, sail in the water on its own or held at boom clamp, towing the board by the handle, walking in the troughs and swimming in the crests. Or I do something else because at that point it's getting too risky for me.
On the way in I use a trick I learned from watching Balz. I hold the mast above the boom and float then stand behind the board. When the foil bottoms out you wait, next wave lifts ya, make a meter or two and repeat until shallow and mellow enough to come along side and grab the bottom handle. It keeps you away from the foil with an escape route.
At 8:00 minutes it shows the method for coming in.
