dropping

I am doing a little more single handing and wondering if I am doing something wrong. When I am ready to lower the main, I point directly into the wind and release the halyard clutch. The halyard runs from the clutch (near the cockpit) through an on-deck block and then through another block...

My rudder was bent up while tow-boat ripped off cleats and the boat swung aft as it moved. Is there anything between the rudder and hull that I need to loosen or remove to drop the rudder? It is a 1978 sloop.

After seeing the recently painted mast of Cordelia I've decided to consider dropping my mast. This I have never done. The yard advised that I get a rigger to do the drop. The price I got from a rigger seemed way out of line, some $ 2500. So can anyone give me a checklist. I suspect...