With the crew that far aft, the tiller is clear of the crew generally, but a good reason to toss the extension is to avoid the crew from breaking it in multiple pieces when he slips and bangs against the hull.
Most, but not all teams use the Marstrom telescoping tiller...runs over $500 USD before shipping. Nice, light, very fragile.

When mine was broken into 3 sections, I replaced with an 8' A-cat carbon extention.


Another technique I see T helms use is to place the extension on top of the shoulder and grasp it from below. Have only tried it once or twice but could not get used to the weird feel. I leave it under my arm & tuck it under my armpit whe I need a second hand...I find I can steer a little just by leaning my upper body in or out.

Mike.