In my experiences there's no getting away from the fact that aft mast rake can make tacking a little more difficult. It's just Physics. Some experiened crews can handle it with no problem,(with practice of the aforementioned techniques) but some folks relatively new to the game will get burned trying lot's of rake. Sure, on long races, with the right amount used and under the right conditions, it can provide up-wind advantages that pay off. In a lot of conditions it's probably safer. Less chance to dig a bow and P-Pole.



But I must be missing something here, because I still can't understand all the positive hype that mast rake seems to generate.