>>>I did a bow stuff and capsize while under spinnaker Saturday.<<<

Ok, first things first, how long did it take you to snuff the spinnaker before righting, and where were you standing when you did that?

After a spinnaker crash I get to the underside of the tramp as quickly as possible, stand on the hull, unclete the halyard. On my rig I can do this by pulling the snuff line -halyard- in the "wrong" direction from under the tramp. Then I snuff the spin from the back of the sock. Also, while you are back there, look to see if your mainsheet is uncleted, be sure it is.

As soon as the kite is in the bag, I go foreward to the low bow and sit down, drag my feet in the water to get the boat to pivot so the bows are pointing somewhat upwind, with the wind coming under the mast. When you get the boat in that possition, then you can go to your righting line (mine has small loops on each end, I just hook it onto my trap harness hook) and lean back.

If you were on the wrong side of the tramp too long snuffing the kite, or if the boat was lying with the tramp fully into the wind, the boat will be moving downwind, pushing the mast tip down and under water as it goes. So, the most important thing to do after a crash in big wind is get the mast perpendicular to the wind, then snuff the kite.

You can do this by simply hanging onto the bow, your body will be a sea anchor as you drag along in the water, and the kite being in the water should also help turn the mast upwind.