Good info Wouter! I also want to try synthetic stays and even bridles/forestay <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> (Wouter have strongly adviced against it)
Going into a violant dive actually decreases the forestay load and increases the sidestay/mainsheet loading. As such this is a positive thing as the latter can easily take the increases when the forestay can not.
There is an exception to that I think, and that is when you stuff the bowsprit and snuffer into deep water. At least that was when we broke three out of eight strands on our dyform forestay. This is just anecdotal evidence, but I tought I should mention it.
