I'm not sure if this would help or even work, but it may be worth a try:

Loosely reef your main sails with a spare line. By reefing I mean completely bundle the sail, not just use the grommets part way up. Then use your main halyard and attach it to the rear end of the boom. Then hoist it up to normal height and cleat the bitter end to your mast. You could center the boom and cleat the main traveler, and use your main blocks to hold it tight and maybe help a little with the boom swinging around.

I don't know if any one has made an all metal halyard and moved the hook to the base of the mast. I don't know if this would help with raising the sails on the water, but keep in mind this would defeat the purpose of the comp tip and complete the electrical path down the mast; it doesn't really matter though if you don't have the comp tip. I imagine this may change how the mast bends and don't really know how this would change the physics of the boat.

Get the furler system, I've used these on an TheMightyHobie18 and it is a great way to dump power for situations where you don't want to be flying down the canal.

Good luck,

Adam