A good why to remember which way to turn/rotate the mast so you can unhook the mainsail ... is to turn the "luff" track in the direction of the hook.

On my P19 the hook is on the left/port side of the mast .... therefore to drop the sail I do as discribed above ... pulling on the halyard to raise the ring higher so it is no longer in the hook .... rotate the mast by using the mast rotator as a "handle'lever" to the left/port side of the boat ... now you will find that you need to rotate the mast so the mast rotator is over or even slightly in front of the front crossbar ...(we call that "over-rotated"). Please note that I usually drop my mainsail w/ the boat "head to wind" or maybe a few degrees off .... If you have the boat 45* off the wind then you may need to rotate the mast even more ... and the sidestays/shrouds will limit you ..... it depends on which side of the mast the hook is mounted on ... one direction will help to "over-rotate", the other direction will hinder.

My educated quess is that ... the halyard hook is mounted on the left/port side of the mast then set the boat so it's on a slight "port tack" ... now over-rotate the mast ... and the wind will keep the mainsail from rotating w/ the mast ... the ring should now clear the hook when you drop it .... (you only need to keep the mast over-rotated until the mainsail drops down to clear the hook ... maybe 1'....)

To extend the life of your mainsail consider loosing the battens especially if you will not be sailing for awhile. Also fiqure out which way your mainsail rolls best .... some roll best bottom ===> top ... others top ===> bottom.

Please let me know if I'm correct about the halyard hook being on the left/port side ... I'm only familiar w/ P16's, 18's 18-2's and 19's ... I have no experience w/ the P15 ...

Harry
H18Mag/P19MX