More good advice here!

You mentioned de-powering the main while sailing with the spi. Do you really propose to use lots of downhaul in hard wind ? I would believe the compression forces on the mast to exceed the limits if you did ?

Otherwise, stuffing the bows with the old pinhead main is easily done. You dont need the new rig to do a proper 'submersion'

Your note about taking off one wave to stuff the bows into the next is now written in letters of fire in my book. I guess having lots of weight at the outmost back of the boat is important. I weight in at 92 Kg and my most regular crew at almost 100 Kg, so we always hope for som real wind when competing.

BTW: I saw a really awsome pitchpole executed in this way on the video "Awesome Aussie Skiffs". Launched off a wave and stuffed the nose into the next. Crew went flying and instant pitchpole. The video is highly reccomended.