No joke, how many pages, just for one tip I wouldn't even have mentioned if I thought some people could not make it work. lol
Well, by the theory of most people here in relation to a capstan winch you wouldn't even need to hold the tail of the cable to keep it taut. You know what I mean? why even hold on to it when it starts to raise/pull whatever, just let go and release the "ancor" at that point. I'm just saying it's a good idea to keep a hold of the tail.
Done correctly the "tail" is pinched under 3 to 4 wraps of the strap and the more you tighten the winch the harder it's pinched. My guess is you have done it incorrectly in the past and are now convinced it doesn't work like many people have done for years.
He doesn’t like the practice in theory even though many people, including myself, have had no issues in actual practice for years.
Can you think of anyway to "mess it up" doing it that way? Yeah, it will hold. Not as well as it should...