Lowerable masts on yachts

Some time ago, in the 70s, I think, I read a book called "Once is Enough", by Miles Smeeton about a yacht called the Tzu Hang, which attempted to round Cape Horn twice: she was rolled and dismasted the first time, and pitch-poled and dismasted the second - and got around the third time as deck cargo on a freighter. What stuck in my mind was that, both times, after the mast was gone, the boat rode the rest of the storm out relatively easily. As a result, I've wanted, ever since then, to develop a mast which is capable of being lowered at sea, in rough conditions.

I know that boats like Thames barges and other inland boats can do this, with good crews being able to "shoot a bridge", lowering the mast, using their momentum to pass the low point, and the raising the rig and resuming sailing, but all of that is based on flat water: it wouldn't work on a boat that is moving in a sea, and placing loads on the mast, as the shrouds come loose (and thus there is a good chance of breaking or at least damaging the rig).

My solution is to create an "X" plan arrangement of wishbone masts, with cross trusses on the side and a hinge at the back point. I've not had the chance to try it, but now I've found someone who is doing something similar - albeit possibly for different reasons. Have a look here, particularly at the second photo of what the author has called "a quadrapod":

http://junkrighouseboat.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/update.html