Rob,
In the UK I think our fleets at Felpham, Lee on Solent and the new fleet at Eastbourne are likely the experts at launching and landing at exposed shores.
I know the Felpham and Lee fleets are keen advocates of carrying RS Aeros in, without using trollies. With the lightweight hull and the gunwales to hold this is easy with 2-3 people and 1 of those could be the sailor.
Another often overlooked trick when returning downwind to a lee shore is to untie the mainsheet knot to allow the sail to rotate forwards around the front. This means you can keep coming in bow first downwind with the waves but without the sail filling.
