Charles:

You have a lot of advice here on getting up the mast, so you probably don't need mine. I will explain the shroud extenders to you though: They were originally designed as a safety mechanism in case you flipped the boat over on it's side. If you could pull the pin on the shroud extenders, then the hulls would travel over another twelve inches, and in theory, you could get the boat over easier. Two problems with them though: When you did get the boat back over, it's a bitch getting the shroud tensioned again; and secondly it's actually getting up there to release the pins. I have them on mine and I don't use them for righting, but they are incredibly helpful when dropping the mast or tuning the shroud tension for different wind conditions. If you do decide to use them as a righting tool, remember they cannot be used during a race.

Wyatt