Art,
This is one of those topics that is getting to the point that people are  
over thinking it. The bearing and assembly are exposed to the elements all the  
time. It gets rained on and critters make nests in there. In the south, as you  
know, we have a neat little bug called the mud dauber that likes to make 
nests  in every crack and crevice it can find on your boat.
You can clean the assembly without dropping the mast or removing it by  
simply hosing it down good while someone is operating the furling system several  
times. Allow to dry and do the same thing with the WD-40. This is the long  
version. The short version is to have someone operate the furler and you  spray 
copious amounts of lubricant inside the mast to lubricate the  bearing. Keep it 
simple people. 
 
Rummy