No tabernacle....
Without some kind of tabernacle on the mast step (the "hinged plate" you referred to), it's pretty much necessary to have a crane or some other method to lift the mast straight up off the step. There is a flange inside the step tso that the step inserts into the mast extrusion about 3/8" or so. In order to drop the mast, you need to have some way to lift it over that flange, while still maintaining the control on it. There's go to be a boatyard in Rio Vista that has a crane you can use for an hour or so. If you wanted to come to Stockton, we have a crane at Stockton Sailing Club that I've used to raise & drop my 27's mast (which has no tabernacle) several times. Takes about an hour from the time you leave my slip in our harbor to the point at which the mast is on the sawhorses. Also, when you do drop it be careful to consider the mast wiring going up inside the mast. If you don't have a connector for the wiring outside the mast (something I after my first dropping), you need to raise the mast in a controlled vertical column another 2-4 inches to allow you access to the connnectors INSIDE the mast, otherwise you might rip all the wires out of the mast.
