Jake's explanation entirely valid and correct. The position of the rope has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you are able to right the boat, it only affects the forces felt by your body and the reactionary forces on the hull. All that matters is the location of your body's CG in relation to the CG of the boat, the pivot point of the system (lower hull), and any external forces acting on the system (wind & wave forces).
So, by that theory then, in regards to leverage points, a shorter gin pole will be just effective as one that's longer when raising your mast with the trailer winch? Just making a comparison to the dynamics here. Not sure if I agree with Jake's statement (assuming I understood him correctly).
The longer ginpole reduces the amount of load on the line much in the same way that having the righting line over the hull reduces the load you have to hold with your hands...but it doesn't change the total amount of force the mast needs to reach vertical or that the boat needs to be righted. Look at the two diagrams in the image below. The differences in the rope angle will not have any affect on the physics in the situation to help you right the boat. The rope in the top diagram will be easier to hang on to - but won't make the boat come up any faster.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=12595&filename=rightingdiagram.jpg)
