One unhappy osprey as the guy with the rod & reel approached
Some rowing, some paddling, some more rowing and then to top it off, some rowing.
After wrestling with the new main, I kinda sorta got it working. By working I mean going up and then coming down. Coming down is important.
Turns out it was the number 3 slide, that somehow got crimped just a mm or so but clearly had enough friction to get hung up in various spots, such as almost to the mast head. I needed a telescoping 3-part boat hook, while climbing on the boom, to reach up and get enough pruchase on the slide below it to yank the luff down. So then I pulled out the trusty knife and cut the G.D. offending slide off.
At that point, with the main safely back up and with a gentle 8-10 kn southerly filling in the creek, I considered slipping the mooring and going for a quick sail. But I didn't and an hour or so later, I was glad I hadn't. The gentle southerly had built to 15-20 and that's a handle for a geezer single-hander.
Nice day though.