Timbo: In all my years of crewing, I MUCH prefer the spin cleat location on the front beam, with a turning block on the tramp so you're pulling from your feet up. For me, I always would fall on my butt on the tramp when I pulled to a cleat on the mast.
When you're pulling up, you get a lot of stability in big waves.
Yup, that's the preferred method...though there are still top teams "jumping" the halyard with downward pulls at the mast.
