Yeah, I've got a 15' pole, so probably 7' between pole tip and forestay. Having the jib up actually eases the spin fwd of the forestay, it'll slide off the jib if plastere on to it. It would be more likely to hang up on a bare forestay. If we're paying attention thru the jibe, it's pretty easy to float the clew fwd of the forestay, and pull it thru at the appropriate time.