Lloyd,
That tautline hitch is an interesting idea, thanks. However, I would see it as a complement to sister clips instead of a replacement.
Later this fall, I will open the sister clips on FATE and drop the sail—ensconced in the sail cover—to the deck. Then we carry this”snake “ to the marina where we properly fold the sail for storage. Obviously we reverse the process in the spring. This avoids having to “thread” the sail through the cradle lines. So I only open/close the sister clips 2x/year.
The tautline hitch would seem to come in handy for fine tuning the length of the cradle lines.
One question for you—does the hitch slip when the cradle lines are not under load—that is, when you’re sailing? I normally think of the hitch as needing a load to hold tight.