Working the amateur satellites with a handheld

Today a friend and I attempted to make contacts through AO-91 for the first time, using a Yaesu FT-70D for receive (on 70 cm) and a Baofeng for transmit (on 2 m). We'd never tried before.

No problem hearing AO-91 and tracking it by hand across the sky with a tape measure Yagi. But, being new to this, I'm not sure how you're supposed to talk on the satellite's repeater. There was no quiet moment during its entire pass through the sky, so I'm not even sure when you have a chance. I tried once or twice with no luck.

I know it should be possible with a handheld - is it just because it was a Saturday morning pass over the Eastern US that too many people showed up and the people with the highest transmit power get to drown everyone else out? Does the repeater normalize the incoming signal like that?

Any tips for the future would be appreciated!