Ebb,
Somehow I read your post, and got the idea you were toying with the idea of going FORWARD with the traveler!
I guess I read 'hatch' (thinking of the companionway hatch) where you wrote hutch.Many race boats have the traveller down low across the middle of the cockpit (I would hate that, a real shin banger)
But, how about across the cockpit seats at the very end in front of the hutch?
So I made up a line to the boom while I was sailing around (on a perfectly beautiful afternoon) just aft the companionway, and then laid a boat hook across the forward end of the cockpit. The irea seemed manageable, only real problem I saw was that you would not be able to simple leave the traveler 'centered' as it would make it difficult to go below (but not impossible).
Maybe I should not even have admitted looking into this, since it was all based on an understanding. I will say that misunderstanding or not I think I would rather have this set up then the one pictured above.