Denis, about the reaching back behind the main for the halyard, are you talking about during the hoist or douse? On the hoist, yes, you have to hoist it kneeling on the same side of the boat as the halyard, only to clete it, usually the starboard side because we round to port at A mark. On the douse, you don't have to be over there, you only need pull down on the halyard and it should unclete from the mast, and you can retrieve it. My halyard runs back through a gromet in the middle of the tramp, so I can snuff from either gybe. My tack line goes under the front beam to a clete mounted there, through a small ring which is tied to a line that also comes up at mid tramp so I can unclete the tack from either gybe as well, and I never have to go forward of mid tramp to do any of it on the douse.

Oh, and I don't care how short you cut your lines, the spinnaker can -always- find it's way into the water, even under the low bow, if you Fk it up with a kink in either line. I know this from experience!