Editing Jib

{{Short description|Triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Wiktionary}}

A '''jib''' is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the [[mast (sailing)|foremast]] of a [[Sailing ship|sailing vessel]]. Its forward corner ([[Tack (sailing)|tack]]) is fixed to the [[bowsprit]], to the [[bow (ship)|bows]], or to the [[Deck (ship)|deck]] between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and [[spinnaker]]s are the two main types of [[headsails]] on a modern boat.

==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.

==Traditional vessels==
[[File:Krusenstern bowsprit jibs.jpg|thumb|Three of the four jibs are in pink.]]

[[Schooner]]s typically have up to three jibs. The foremost one sets on the topmast [[forestay]] and is generally called the ''jib topsail'', a second on the main forestay is called ''the jib'', and the innermost is called ''the staysail''. Actually, all three sails are both jibs and [[staysail]]s in the generic sense.

Original usage in 18th and 19th century [[square rig|square-rigged]] ships distinguished between the fore staysail, set on the [[Stays (nautical)|forestay]] running from the foremast head to the ship's peak, the foremost part of the hull, and the jibs set on stays running to the bowsprit. Jibs, but not staysails, could also be "set flying," i.e. not attached to the standing rigging. Sails set beyond the peak were typically called jibs, set on stays running from the fore [[topmast]] to the [[bowsprit]], or the fore [[topgallant mast]] to the [[jibboom]] or even the fore royal mast to the flying jibboom. A large [[square rig|square-rigged]] ship typically has four jibs, but could have as many as six.<ref name=mayne1>{{cite book|last1=Mayne|first1=Richard|title=The Language of Sailing|date=2000|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers|isbn=1-57958-278-8|page=155}}</ref><ref name=king256>{{cite book|last1=King|first1=Dean|title=A Sea of Words|date=2000|publisher=Henry Holt|isbn=978-0-8050-6615-9|page=256|edition=3}}</ref>

From forward to aft, these sails are called:

* Jib of jibs
* Spindle jib
* Flying jib
* Outer jib
* Inner jib
* Fore ([[topmast]]) staysail.<ref name=mayne1/><ref name=king256/>

The first two were rarely used except by [[clipper ships]] in light winds and were usually set flying.<ref name=mayne1/><ref name=king256/> A storm jib was a small jib of heavy canvas set to a stay to help to control the ship in bad weather.<ref name=mayne1/>

==Idiom==
The jib is referenced in the idiom usually spoken as "I like the cut of your jib", generally seen as signifying approval of one's general appearance or respect for their character. The phrase alludes to the maritime practice of identifying far-away ships by noting the "cut" (general shape and configuration) of their sails to determine their status as friend or foe. One such report from the ''[[Naval Chronicle]]'' (1805)—"we perceived by the cut of their sails, then set, that they were French Ships of War"—is often cited as an early inspiration for the idiom.<ref>{{cite journal|editor1-last=Clarke|editor1-first=James Stanier|editor2-last=Jones|editor2-first=Stephen|editor3-last=Jones|editor3-first=John|title=Biographical Memoir of the Late Honourable Captain Richard Walpole|journal=Naval Chronicle|date=1805|volume=14|page=97|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xnAMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP125|access-date=6 May 2018|publisher=J. Gold}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Three Sheets to the Wind' & 'Cut of Your Jib'|url=http://disappearingidioms.com/three-sheets-to-the-wind-cut-of-your-jib/ |publisher=Disappearing Idioms|access-date=6 May 2018|date=August 2, 2013}}</ref>

[[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]] used the expression to denote approval in the 1824 novel ''[[St. Ronan's Well]]'': "If she disliked what the sailor calls the ''cut of their jib''{{-"}}.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Martin|first1=Gary|title=Cut of your jib|url=https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cut-of-your-jib.html|website=The Phrase Finder|access-date=6 May 2018}}</ref> [[John Russell Bartlett]] later defined the idiom in his 1848 ''Dictionary of Americanisms'' as "The form of his profile, the cast of his countenance". This usage alludes to a frequent variation of meaning which describes approval, specifically, of the shape of one's [[nose]], which roughly approximates the frontal position and triangular shape of the jib sail on a boat.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Robson|first1=Martin|title=Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat: Naval slang and its everyday usage|date=2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=9781844861965|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UEGkDAAAQBAJ|access-date=6 May 2018|chapter=Cut of his jib}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Lateen sail]]
* [[Sail plan]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Sail Types|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Nautical terminology]]
[[Category:Sailboat components]]
[[Category:Sailing rigs and rigging]]
[[Category:Sailing ship components]]
[[Category:Shipbuilding]]