how in the world did you drop it straight back?...I don't see how the rotator can catch the beam either.

My casting has had the ear for the pin broken ever since I got the boat. I haven't bothered to fix it. I step like normal and just keep a little downward pressure the mast while I'm handling it and have found that the mast socket is so deep that it captures the ball pretty well even without the pin. So I haven't messed with it. If there's an extra pair of hands available, I'll have someone hold the base down for extra security but it's not necessary.