This is our second season with our 1972 Catalina 22. We love her and she's a great boat, but the topping lift is an absolute b%$*# to unhook and hook, making the IDEA of ever single-handing her IMPOSSIBLE. On the end of the boom, there's a cotter pin that attaches through a wire loop on the backstay. Obviously, when there's any tension on it at all (ie. if you raise the main before unhooking it) the cotter pin is a nightmare to try to undo. We have unhooked it and then raised the sail (in heavy wind) which is a bit easier, but then you're dealing with the boom hanging free and resting in the cockpit or on the floor... Any advice? Is there a different technique, or a different piece of hardware we could use?