Oh yeah. I looked briefly at that link, and it's the first name I've ever seen attached. And it may have said it in the article, but the mast is a wing. Even if it were perfectly round, other forces are at work, as the angle of approach, and the departure angles set up vortices which are contrary to forward sailing. So the cross section of most masts ARE a wing, just not designed for flight as there is no Bernoulli effect due to equal length surfaces on both sides. Works great if you are sailing straight forward directly into the wind. Huh? Everything physical is a compromise. The air flow at rest must be disrupted somehow. Short of welding flaps onto the mast, the halyard wrapping idea is probably the least painless.
I've heard a million halyards slapping in the marina, but have never seen this firsthand, however heard of it. I would sure love to spend some time on a boat that did it. Maybe not try to spend the night on it, but these things enthuse me greatly.
