Jibe
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A jibe (US) or gybe (Britain) is a sailing maneuver whereby a
In this maneuver, the mainsail will cross the center of the boat while the jib is pulled to the other side of the boat. If a spinnaker is up, its pole will have to be manually moved to the other side, to remain opposite the mainsail. In a dinghy, raising the centerboard can increase the risk of capsizing during what can be a somewhat violent maneuver, although the opposite is true of a dinghy with a flat, planing hull profile: raising the centerboard reduces heeling moment during the maneuver and so reduces the risk of capsize.
The other way to change the side of the boat that faces the wind is turning the
Use
Many sailboats move significantly faster when sailing on a
Jibing occurs less commonly than tacking, since a sailboat can sail straight downwind, whereas it cannot sail directly into the wind and has to sail a zig-zag course at alternating angles into the wind. However, a jibe can generally be completed more quickly than a tack because the boat never turns into the wind, and thus a jibing boat's sails are always powered, whereas a tacking boat's luffing sails are un-powered while the bow crosses through or into the direction of the wind.
"Wearing ship" is the jibing-equivalent maneuver for a square-rigged ship when its crew wishes to avoid the difficulties and hazards of tacking. Light winds, heavy seas, worn-out gear, and poor vessel or crew performance are all reasons a ship may choose to wear instead of tack. Compared to boats with a
When running (sailing nearly directly downwind) in a sloop, one may "jibe" only the mainsail to the opposite side of the boat. This keeps both the main and jib exposed to the wind resulting in a more efficient use of wind. Setting the mainsail and the jib on opposite sides of the boat is often referred to as running "goose-winged", "gull-winged", or "wing-and-wing". When running wing-and-wing, a light
Dangers
A jibe can be dangerous in a fore-and-aft rigged boat because the sails are always completely filled by wind during the maneuver. As the direction of the wind crosses the boat's centerline and the
Technique
This article contains instructions, advice, or how-to content. (February 2021) |
A safe jibe can be aided by tensioning the boom vang (kicking strap) to prevent the boom from lifting. In high winds, sailing nearly directly downwind briefly before and after the jibe and making only small direction changes will produce less heeling force and reduce the tendency to round-up. In heavier gusts, the crew or skipper can sheet the boom in and force the boom across the boat by hand, holding the boom in position by locking the traveler or using a preventer. After the jibe has been completed, the course can then be changed to higher points of sail.
Because of the inherent dangers in jibing, communication among the crew is key. Typically three commands are issued by the helmsman: "Prepare to jibe" (or "ready to jibe") warns everyone to remain clear of the boom and alerts crew to be in position to handle sheets and boom for all sails. "Bearing away" or "jibing" (similar to saying "helm's a-lee" during a tack) indicates the helmsman is turning the boat (away from the wind) to start the jibe. "Jibe-ho" accompanies the start of the boom swing across the centerline.
Accidental jibes may occur when running dead downwind and the wind catches the leeward side of the sail. When the wind direction crosses the centerline of the boat without jibing the point of sail is referred to as "by the lee". When sailing "by the lee" the outer edge of the mainsail is facing slightly into the wind. Rolling motion, slight changes in the boat heading or wind direction can cause an unexpected and surprising jibe, suddenly and forcefully flipping the mainsail to the opposite side of the boat. Do not sail "by the lee" except for brief durations (such as to avoid an obstacle), and only when keeping all crew clear of the boom swing and the arc of the mainsheet sweep. A crew member can be used to help hold the boom in place in smaller boats. When sailing directly downwind, unintentional jibes can also occur; diligent helmsmanship is required to prevent "by the lee" conditions and keeping clear of the boom sweep is advised. In larger stable boats, a preventer can help by keeping the boom held forward, preventing the boom motion of a jibe, especially in light winds. However, in high winds, the "sheeting in action" of a preventer can cause severe rounding up on the other tack. Smaller boats may find that a backwinded sail is more heel inducing than allowing a jibe. See broach, Chinese gybe and death roll.
When sailing in high winds, a small boat or dinghy can
As with most sailing training, it is particularly important to learn this maneuver in lighter winds, and practice in increasing winds and faster maneuvers gradually.
For various sailing craft
The method of jibing sailing craft differs, depending on whether they are fore-and aft, square-rigged, a windsurfer, or a kitesurfer.
- Fore-and-aft rig – A fore-and-aft sail is set for the wind on one side for a given tack. As the wind changes across the stern and reaches the other side of the sail, the sail may be blown to the other side suddenly—unless it is shielded by other sails to windward. If the sail is supported with a boom, gaff or sprit the change may be violent—unless the sheets are tight—as the sail is blown to the other side. For a jib, the old leeward sheet is loosened as the stern turns through the wind and the old windward sheet is tightened as the new leeward sheet to allow the sail to draw wind. A jib is usually shielded by the mainsail in this process. The mainsail sheet is tightened to limit the sudden movement from one side to the other and then eased out, once the boat is safely on the opposite tack. On smaller craft, the boom may be controlled by hand.[2]
- Spinnaker – Some sailboats use a symmetrical spinnaker—a three-sided, parachute-like sail—off the wind. The windward lower corner of a spinnaker is attached to a horizontal pole, coming from the mast to the lower corner of the sail—controlled by a line, called a guy—and the other lower corner is attached to a line that acts as a sheet. When jibing, the pole is disconnected from the mast and attached to the opposite lower corner. Upon establishment on the new tack, the end of the pole that was on the sail is connected to the mast as the former guy becomes the new sheet and the former sheet becomes the new guy.[2] For high-performance craft with an asymmetrical spinnaker attached to a bow sprit, the sail is jibed in a manner similar to a jib.[3]
- Square rig – As with any downwind change of course, the sails on a square rigger are adjusted with the vessel's running rigging, using braces sheets.[4] Only the jibs, staysails and the spanker need to be jibed, as on a fore-and-aft rig.[5] The maneuver of changing tack with the wind passing across the stern of a square-rigged vessel is called wearing ship.[6]
- Windsurfer rig – When sailors of windsurfers jibe, they use techniques like the carve jibe and the duck jibe or sail back winded then push the leech through the eye of the wind as in an upwind 360 or after ducking the sail to back winded. The carve jibe allows the sail to pivot away from the wind as the board is turned with the wind passing over the stern. A duck jibe is initiated on a beam reach and the sailor presses the sail towards the wind and passes the back end of the boom over to the other side, "ducking" under it.[7]
- Kitesurfer rig – When changing tack while on a broad reach, a
This section needs expansion with: gybing a lateen sail. You can help by adding to it. (September 2023) |
See also
References
- ISBN 0-670-81416-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4391-3678-2.
- ISBN 978-0-7136-6704-2.
- ISBN 9780486263434.
- ISBN 9781456793500.
- ISBN 9781472834072.
- ISBN 978-1-84797-963-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-9204-7.
- Rousmaniere, John, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, Simon & Schuster, 1999, pp. 54–55, 101–102, 106–107, & 331
- Chapman Book of Piloting (various contributors), Hearst Corporation, 1999, pp. 231 – 233
- Herreshoff, Halsey (consulting editor), The Sailor's Handbook, Little Brown and Company, 1983, pp. 34–37, & 160
- Seidman, David, The Complete Sailor, International Marine, 1995, pp. 47–49,53, & 110
- Jobson, Gary, Sailing Fundamentals, Simon & Schuster, 1987, pp. 41–45, 71, 77–78, 95, & 186