The big bear away....

Can't really comment about Contenders, but have plenty of experience in a boat that loves to do this (i.e. 12ft long and vasty over-ragged).

Have you eased the kicker? If not this will drive the nose down. Also, ease the main before you start pulling the tiller. What you need to do is to pull the boat on top of you, then bear away. A common mistake that people make is to get the timing between mainsheet and tiller wrong. NEVER bear away first because the boat will heel to leeward, and this will drive the nose in. Heel it to windward (over on top of you) and push with your front foot (a bit like you do with a board).

Hope that helps.

agree with skiffybob about bringing the boat in ontop of you and easing the kicker.

i used to blow kicker and cunninham at same time then let the board up a wee bit then ease the main just before you bear off.  never got sent round the bow.

the only time i felt i need the toe staps was in 40knts dead down wind, but then again im not a small chap so i could use my weight more affectively in staying on the boat.

541 should'nt that be pull the tiller?

I sometimes find doing the bearaway in little steps can help if it's really gnarly...you kind of feel how the boat is loading up through the tiller and sheet loads and sail it accordingly.  Bear away onto a close reach (having done all those other things mentioned above)...if the nose starts to go down, the speed coming on, the hull really starting to plane and the apparent going forward might mean that she pops up and gets settled before you finish the bearaway.  We're only talking fractions of a second here, a bit like centralising the tiller mid gybe really, but it might just be easier than expecting to bear away from upwind in a F5 to a dead run in one swift manoevre.

Not sure how heavy you are but the Contender board is massive, you can probably get away with having it really quite a long way up.  And don't steer too much, get the trim right and the windward heel right and it will more or less bear away by itself.  Yank on a load of rudder  (especially if heeled) and it kinda makes the stern come up and the bow go down.  Release the "pressure" out of the sail with the kicker and mainsheet, steer the boat into the bearaway by heeling it on top of you, and the rudder just follows along behind as more of a "trim tab" than a proper steering device.  If you get it wrong and end up in the drink a quick stab with the tiller will usually pick you up again...