I had the main, traveller and downhaul all off (maybe not rotation) and was hanging right on the bow kicking with my legs to swing the bows into the wind but could still only get it to 45 degrees enough to get the wind under the sail but could not get it round further
This may be the problem; you need to let the sterns drift down wind; not swim/kick the bows to the wind.
If you are forward you are sinking the bows; trying to swim them round is going to be difficult/impossible; let the wind blow the higher-flowting sterns to drift away.
