Yes, I had this problem on Celtic Lady #315 and worked hard to tension the stays so that it wouldn't happen. I finally had the marina fix it when I took the mast down for the winter. As you said, the conduit has probably broken away from the mast. On CL there are two small screws (or rivets) through the front of the mast about every 6-8 feet. from top to bottom. These attach to the conduit and on CL they had come apart for 10-15' up from the bottom of the mast. I noticed it when the mast was down. You can fix this, or at least my marina did (I was not there when they made the repair) by laying the mast down with the steaming light pointing down on saw-horses or the marina mast storage rack. This allows the conduit to rest on the front of the mast due to gravity. They just drilled out the rivets or screws and added new screws. Mine held for a few years but I think they have begun to come loose again.
Second, I have found that the mast bucks fore and aft in the wind and if I can get the tension of the stays just right, it doesn't move. I have been studying this on my boat for years and believe this "bucking" loosens the conduit and sure makes it bang in the wind. Maybe its due to raking the mast a little and maybe I need to take the rake back out but it was this way when I bought the boat in 1996 and sails well. I've also noticed that it is caused by a beam wind, not a fore or aft wind. I believe the bucking is just something that is caused by the tension or improper tension on the stays.... like in the bridge video on documentaries, that began swaying due to the tension of the support wires (if you've seen it).
Good luck. I wonder if anyone else has solved this permanently?
Mark
_________________ Mark T37 #315, Celtic Lady Muskegon, MI
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