hrtsailor,
You beat me to it. I just read these very interesting posts and was wondering if anyone else did that. Instead of tent poles I use bamboo, sturdy and very light-weight. Do a little lashing reminiscent of my days with the Boy Scouts and there you have it, a perfect place to put that cumbersome mast with you're trying to atach the pin. I set up the boat solo most of the time and I assure you, after the first time I tried to push that mast down and hold it in place with 4/5 of it hanging off the back I was determined to find a solution. If I get a little more free time I will post my solo method as well. Pretty much the same as everyone else, but who knows.