Editing Jib (section)

==Modern yachts and small craft==
[[File:Jib vs genoa.svg|thumb|right|A '''jib''', left, compared to a [[genoa (sail)|genoa]], right. The foretriangle is outlined in red.]]

Boats may be sailed using a jib alone, but more commonly jibs make a minor direct contribution to propulsion compared to a [[main sail]]. Generally, a jib's most crucial function is as an [[airfoil]], increasing performance and overall stability by reducing [[turbulence]] on the main sail's [[leeward]] side.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gentry|first=Arvel|title=A Review of Modern Sail Theory|date=September 12, 1981|url=http://ljjensen.net/Maritimt/A%20Review%20of%20Modern%20Sail%20Theory.pdf|access-date=March 10, 2017|archive-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422225628/http://ljjensen.net/Maritimt/A%20Review%20of%20Modern%20Sail%20Theory.pdf|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
 
On boats with only one jib, it is common for the [[Parts of a sail#Corners|clew]] of the jib to be abaft the mast, meaning the jib and mainsail overlap. An overlapping jib is called a ''genoa jib'' or simply a [[genoa (sail)|genoa]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sail Types and features {{!}} Elvstrøm Sails |url=https://elvstromsails.com/sail-technology/sail-types/#headsails |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=elvstromsails.com |language=en-US}}</ref> (see illustration). These are efficiently used when [[reaching (sailing)|reaching]] more broadly than a [[close reach]]. Alternatively, a boat may carry smaller jibs, to compensate aerodynamics when the main sail is [[reef (sail)|reefed]]; these more rugged sails are called ''storm jibs'' or ''spitfires''.<ref name=oct>{{cite book |last=Torrey | first=Owen C. Jr. |title=Sails |publisher=Palmer & Oliver |edition=Seamen's Bank for Savings |date=1965 |location=New York |pages=20–25, 36, & 37 }}</ref>

On a boat with two [[staysail]]s the inner sail is called the ''staysail'', and the outer (foremost) is called the jib. This combination of two staysails is called a ''cutter rig'' (or in North America a ''yankee pair'') and a boat with one mast rigged with two staysails and a mainsail is called a [[cutter (ship)|cutter]].

On cruising yachts, and nearly all racing sailboats, the jib needs to be worked when tacking. On these yachts, there are two sheets attached to the [[Parts of a sail#Corners|clew]] of the jib. As the yacht comes [[Points of sail#Head to wind|head to wind]] during a tack, the active sheet is released, and the other sheet (the ''lazy sheet'') on the other side of the boat is pulled in. This sheet becomes the new ''active sheet'' until the next tack.