Mark,
I raise my mast, usually by myslef, over the bow. The method I use is a little different to that mentioned by Steve. However I would be hesitant to recommend raising over the bow. If you are not careful things can go wrong. It is just that I don't like walking on my boat when it is on land. Believe me this is a personal quirk. Most people have no issue with this and the mast goes up over the sterns.
Regards,
Phill

I know that the voices in my head aint real,
but they have some pretty good ideas.
There is no such thing as a quick fix and I've never had free lunch!