Doug, you should always be playing the mainsheet when going upwind-don't cleat it. An inch in or an inch out may make a noticable difference. I have my cleat angled so high that it is hard to cleat the sheet, and I only do so when going downwind or tacking. Don't cleat the sheet...
Totally with you on that Trey.
Our Marstrom A-Cat has one of those evil tramp centered main sheets that doesn't even let you cleat for the tacks. You have to hold onto the sheet and stay on the wire until well into the tack before swinging in like tarzan and trying to juggle unhooking, steering, rehooking while not letting the main sheet get away from you. Still a bit of a chinese fire drill for me.
On the F18 we only cleat the main just before tacking.
Chris.
