CHAPTER 7 JIBING TECHNIQUES AND DOWNWIND SAILING
E Speed Is Your Friend E Methods for Quicker Sail Transition E Steering Jibes E Roll Jibing E Avoiding Capsizes to Windward
While a boat sails through a jibe faster than it does during a tack, there are boathandling skills that will increase the efficiency and safety of a jibe. This section addresses the key components for keeping your boat upright and travelling fast during jibes.
SPEED IS YOUR FRIEND TIP
Before a boat is jibed, some adjustments need to be made so the boat will perform and steer better. EThe centerboard/ daggerboard should be lowered and the boom vang should be tensioned to keep the boom from rising.
EOnce the jibe is complete, the centerboard/
daggerboard and boom vang can be adjusted back to their respective downwind settings.
Sailors often feel as if they have more control of a boat when it is moving slowly. In many situations, such as docking or approaching a person in the water, slower speeds are preferable. However, when sailing downwind and jibing, it is safer to have the boat moving as fast as possible. Remember that a jibe occurs when your boat is sailing downwind and in the same direction as the wind.
The faster you can keep the boat moving while jibing, the closer the boat’s speed will be to the wind speed. If the boat keeps up with the wind speed, the boom will swing across more slowly. If the boat slows down, the wind will force the boom to go across faster and with more power.
When you can perfect this technique, you will look forward to jibing in heavy wind.
METHODS FOR QUICKER SAIL TRANSITION Both the mainsail and jib can be handled to keep a boat’s speed up while jibing. The goal is to reduce the amount of time the sails are luffing or not working at maximum efficiency.
JIB: When performing a jibe, the crew’s goals are to use their weight to keep the boat flat, to switch the jib from one side of the boat to the other, and to keep the jib full as much as possible. For a jibe, keep the jib full as long as you can while grabbing the new sheet and removing any slack. Once the boat has settled after the jibe, find the optimum body position to keep the boat flat and trim the jib properly to the new course.
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