first pitchpole today...

I just had my first pitchpole last week too - it's great to read of all the advice to stop/reduce this.

We were heading up wind, I was on the trapeze (one leg on the hull behind the skipper to try and get the bow up), letting someone else drive (he's experienced), heading upwind, and the leeward hull just started going under. Skipper said he let out the main a little but the hull wouldn't come up and then the whole boat just stopped. It's an unusual feeling flying forward on the trapeze, not touching enything! What a blast!

bphendri12 said "Just keep an eye on the lee bow, and if it starts to burry, either pop the jib, or bear away and lef out the sails". Does everyone do this (bear away)? I had been steering upwind (bearing up?) when the boat had been lifting a hull too high and I though we'd do the same when the hull starting burying itself. Should I really bear away?

While out trapezing I was going back and forward for balance but I did not have the gib sheet - should the crew hold the gib sheet even when on trapeze?

Another question: When I was skippering and out on the trapeze with my crew, I found the mainsheet kept falling in the water (between my hands and the hull) when I was playing the mainsail. We got around this by the crew holding the mainsheet and taking up the slack that would normally be lying on the tramp. Is this what everyone does, do you let the mainsheet drag in the water (I think not) or is there some other way of keeping the mainsheet out of the water?