LESSON 6: GYBING

WHAT IS GYBING?

If the boat is sailing downwind on starboard tack, the boom and mainsail are out as far as they can go on the port side and the jib is winged on the starboard side. If we now steer to the left (toward the 5 on the clock) the mainsail must change to the starboard side. This downwind change of the mainsail from one side to the other is called gybing.

The picture to the right shows a boat gybing from a running to a reaching course on the port tack. The mainsail and boom must be swung from port to starboard as it enters the port tack.

It is dangerous if the boat gybes suddenly and unexpectedly in a moderate to heavy wind because the boom travels across the boat rapidly and with a lot of force. It is very important to be prepared for a jibe and to jibe the boat carefully and deliberately with the sails and steering under control. This is how it is done.

As the helmsperson sees the need for a jibe, he/she alerts the crew by saying "Prepare to jibe." At this point a crew member hauls on the main sheet until the boom is close to the center of the boat while the helmsperson holds the downwind course. Once the mainsail is in, the person steering says, "Gybe ho!" and steers the boat toward the new course (if the boat was on starboard tack, the new port tack course is the 5 - if the boat was on port tack, the new starboard tack is the 7). As soon as the crew sees the mainsail cross the boat and fill on the new tack, they release the sheet allowing the sail to go out rapidly and then they adjust it for the new point of sail.

GYBING THE JIB

When sailing directly downwind, the jib will already have "gybed" if it has been winged. If it has not been winged, it will be behind the mainsail and probably it won't be doing much. When the jibe is complete, it can be trimmed on the new leeward side (if the new course is a reach) or winged opposite the mainsail if the new course is a run.

THE SPINNAKER

Advanced sailors use an additional sail - a spinnaker - when sailing off the wind. It is possible to carry a spinnaker on any point of sail from 3 to 9. A spinnaker is a big, ballooning sail that looks something like a parachute. It is make of very light material, and it is often colored. We have a big green and red spinnaker aboard the Easy Wind, but we only use it when conditions are right and we have a very experienced crew aboard. Gybing a spinnaker is a process too complicated to be discussed here, but even when sailing with a spinnaker, the process of gybing the mainsail is the same as described here.



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