Huh. It's not as apparent in the lower pic, which is more from the foreward quarter; putting a protractor on the upper pic, which is a better profile, I'm reading ~3 degrees forward rake relative to the painted bootstripe. Which may be perfect tuning for the Ballad, no clue.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Or may be the bootstripe. Or may be an artifact of the camera, too. I was just wondering if someone changed to a 135% working headsail & raked the mast forward to compensate (tho it shouldn't be needed). Or maybe just took the backstay tension off at rest?
Once you get the fore-and-aft trim sorted to your satisfaction, it would be interesting to hang a weight from the main halyard & see what sort of rake you have. I have a notion (completely theoretical, no basis other than gut feeling) that mast rake will be one of the most important settings on this boat. We have no idea what the rake (or pre-bend, or shroud tension) )should be. Does anyone here have a definitive guide for setting rake? Either angle from vertical, or masthead-to-aft-corner measurements?