Has anyone tried a Harken Trigger Cleat? It works like a normal cleat, but has a small lever in front of the cleat that can be activated by applying pressure on the main sheet from below. When activated it opens the cams slightly allowing the sheet to be released gradually without the snatching that you get when releasing the sheet in the usual manner. For more details look here –
http://www.velasailingsupply.com/Harken_Trigger_Cleat_p/hr418.htm
Chris Bowen
The Flying Fifteen Blog 