[fallard]

Thanks all for your input. I think that I will take it down

If you arekeeping the mast up for the winter, I hope your boat isn't near dwellings. Your mast slot can generate a low frequency noise due to wind induced resonance in the mast cavity. There are fixes for that, but you basically need to close the slot if you have any consideration for near neighbors.

We live about 400' from a large ketch with both in-mast furlers empty. When the wind howls, so do both masts. The yard manager says they have a fix in the works that involves a foam insert.