ROb,
I am a new sailor with only about 3,000 miles behind me,but I think the roller is the way to go for the very reason you stated plus anything you can do from the cockpit in heavy weather spells safety for all hands aboard.One of my experiences was sustained wind that came up suddenly with my
jib out all the way(150%).It pushed my cats speed up to 12 knots and the ride was really uncomfortable for the seas.It only took a minute or two to reef the
jib from the cockpit to about 10% and speed came back down to a comfortable 8 knots with good helm control.What the sail looked like never entered my mind as I was concentrating on performance. I have a Harkin unit and I really like it.