Gary, am I not up to your caliber of sailing, but as you mentioned "keeping the traveler centered" I prefer this route as well, and play the mainsheet. To me its easier, dunno why. I only work the traveler when reaching, not when heading upwind. Dunno, maybe its something I learned from sailing monos. I am also upgrading from a 6:1 to a 7:1 so I can cleat less and work more.