The rope and cleat method works well enough around the bouys (it was one of our initial designs), but for long distance racing, it was not an option. Just a little creep, or line settling in the cleat was enough to generate significant weather helm. It also was not as quick to raise and lower the blade to clear weeds.
Yeah, I second that. Any creep causes it to get heavy. However, with a 2:1 purchase on low stretch high tech line it isn't too much of a problem. You can get a lot of pull on them. You can clearly tell when it has slipped a little though.
