G,
If the top of top section doesn't have a plug of some kind, you run a very high risk of sand and/or dirt getting in and jamming the ferrule such that the two sections of the mast freeze up. Yet, I've had masts where the bottom section is free from plugs, thereby allowing the top to be inserted in the bottom (like pictured in Papounet's first photo above), and never had a problem.
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