>Greg
>P.S. I agree that using the Emergency Blow approach would
>leave you without a method of re-hoisting and that's bad.

Not that I think using the quick-release is a good method (personally, I'd just get the hook working right), but if you did use it, you'd have thin lanyard running up the mast to your snap shackle. If you did emergency release the sail, you would just use the lanyard to pull the ring down - of course you'd still have to get the ring off the hook before doing this <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

sm