Great sailing weather for me today. Unfortunately, I got as far as the boat launch when I realized I didn't have my mast pin for my Nacra 450. So I came home :-( Can't find it anywhere and don't know what size it is, but I found a long shank padlock that fits not quite snuggly. Don't think I'll try that.

Anyway, I thought the mast hinge pin was a safety feature that prevented the mast from coming off the ball. But after doing a search on this site, I've seen mention of leaving it off when sailing. So what's its purpose? I don't want to head out if it's supposed to be on.

Next question is what size is it?

Thanks :-)