I'm fortunate that my dock has three cleats, so the middle dock cleat is used for two spring lines, fore and aft. But having a mid cleat on the boat would be handy for coming into fuel docks and such, where it's most convenient to hand or toss a single line to someone on the dock, or get off with line in hand, just to keep the boat close until bow/stern lines can be secured.
With the single line, I wouldn't have to worry about having the boat rotate away from the dock before I can secure the other lines, and since I mostly single-hand, I have to think about how I'm going to secure to a dock based on wind and current, before I get there. My last boat had a mid-cleat, and it was very useful for many things.
I've thought about using the jib car when the genoa is on the furler, but never tried it. It would be a little rough on the line, as it doesn't lay flat to the outside. And I'm too cheap to buy a cleat for the track. I also don't see a good place to add a permanent cleat, and a pop-up cleat would take space under the headliner, which I don't want.
I dropped my hand-held VHF into Lake Ontario last night in the dark while getting beat up by the flogging main (securing it), so there's a more pressing need for funds now anyway (something a $1 carabiner would have prevented
).
