Throughout these mast-lowering discussions over the past couple of years, I have yet to see any mention of just how tricky this exercise can be, the more so in any kind of sea and when the mast is top-heavy with added equipment. Since my experience is limited to sailboat masts, perhaps I'm suggesting a problem that doesn't exist on trawlers. However, the geometry is such that as the mast is lowered, a surprising load comes on suddenly after the mast tips past about 20 degrees from vertical. And if the boat is rolling even slightly, as soon as the side-stays start to slack, there will be a tendency for the mast to oscillate from side-to-side, making it that much more difficult to control. Since the tabernacle fastenings aren't designed for side-loading or against tear-out, the potential for big-time damage is high. If these problems do exist for your situation, there are a couple of easy solutions to both. To manage the load, a gin pole - any aluminum tube strong enough to handle the compression loads - about 3/4 the length of the mast can be stepped in the mast's tabernacle. A line from the top of the mast - I usually used the jib halyard - is run over the end of the gin pole through a snatch block in the direction opposite the mast's travel. Assuming for the purposes of example that you are lowering the mast toward the rear of the boat, the gin pole goes forward of the mast as does the line. The gin pole should be tipped forward at about a 45 degree angle to the mast. As the mast is lowered and the load comes on the line, the gin pole moves with it to a more vertical position and takes up that load safely. To prevent any side-to-side motion, stays should be rigged from as high as possible on the mast to either side and attached at points LEVEL/LEVEL with the tabernacle pivot point. The level attachment points ensure that the stays do not go slack as the mast is lowered and that, of course, prevents any side-to-side movement. This operation is a lot more complicated to describe than it is to do, and once you've got it set up is easy to repeat and always safe. I suggest you try your first lowering and raising on a calm day tied to the dock, and rig a block and tackle just in case you are surprised at how heavy that mast becomes as it tips. That "perfect situation" will tell you immediately whether you need to institute the safety measures noted above. Cheers, Garrett