I have a rigging question regarding the mailsail on my 1984 Catalina 25. My boat has a bolt fastened inside the mast groove above the slot where the mailsail’s boltrope is fed into the groove when bending on. I have no idea what this bolt is called, but to avoid confusion with the boltrope I will call it a “stopper bolt”. The stopper bolt is basically a small bolt, flattened between the threads and the head, with two lock washers and a nut. For years I left the mailsail on the boom, covered by canvas, and did not remove it except for a few rare occasions. The stopper bolt is helpful when dousing the main because it prevents the slugs from falling out of the mast groove allowing me to furl the mainsail onto the boom. Before the mailsail can be removed the stopper bolt in the mast groove has to be removed. In the more recent past I have been able to sail more frequently and in more varied weather conditions, so I have only recently become familiar with reefing the mailsail. Unfortunately, the stopper bolt in the mast groove, which has never bothered me before, is now a hassle when trying to reef. I cannot lower the luff clingle to the boom because of this stopper bolt! It is not so bad if I am fortunate enough to foresee the weather and still have a fairly steady deck to work on, but try to remove the stopper bolt in less than friendly conditions and it becomes an aggravating and possibly hazardous task. Obviously I try to reef before conditions require it, but sometimes.... I could leave the stopper bolt off, but then I would have a different problem with the slugs spilling out of the mast groove when dousing the main. Is this “stopper bolt” a standard feature or an add on by the previous owner? Has anyone had a similar problem? Should I leave the stopper bolt off completely and come up with a different solution? A quick release type fastener would be more appropriate but I don’t know of any such device. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Andrew Monaghan cheaha@gulftel.com