The club I am a member at has a huge number of members who believe winter storing any sized sailboat with the mast up is bad for the boat.

In the haul-out prep letter sent to all members one line reads:

"We believe it is better for your boat to take the mast down as there is far less stress on the boat and better for storing in gusty weather."

How many here take their masts down every time they haul for storage on the hard?

(As a side, the majority of the members at my club also believe that once a boat has been in salt water it is compromised )