I recently relocated the gate in the sail slot on my mast so that it's below the boom, hence making reefing easier. Anyway, I found that by closing the gate a bit the 1/2" sail stop stays in and the gate is still wide enough to accept the gooseneck slide. I don't know if this will work with all setups, but it might keep a few sail stops off the bottom. Rick Langer M15 #337 Bluebird