Love to Rick, never stop learning!!!
I just had a play with a 5.4 Race. It has a 30cm stepped clew so its reasonably large.
I pulled the tack strap on as hard as I could, way more than I would ever rig it.
There was a very small movement in the leech above the boom and I mean very small. What surprised me a bit was that it tightened (if thats what you would call it) more at batten 5 a bit higher up than I would have expected. I think the stepped clew is a factor in this.
So I will conceed some minor defeat here, it does effect the leech above the boom , JUST.
However I could place 2 fingers on the end of batten 7 and even really small pressure let the batten bend and the leech loosened off again. I still contend that on the water when the sail is loaded and you are hanging your body weight off the boom that the tack strap has little real world impact on the leech above the boom on sails with large stepped clews. The rig is so dynamic with both the batten at the step flexing and the mast flexing and the leech is constantly working.
On the Evo 111 with the enclosed clew I think the tack strap will have more impact on the leech.
The real reason for cranking on the tack strap is still to force more draft into the lower forward section of the sail, that is where you can really see it effecting the sail shape.
Enough from me, now I will go and see if I still have a life.