How to Raise a Jib When Sailing
After raising the mainsail and adjusting the sheets, you'll need to raise your foresail - called a jib or a genoa - to achieve your boat's full potential. Here's how.
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Instructions
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1
Sail into open water - close hauled under mainsail only.
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Pull the jib back along the leeward side of the deck if it has been stowed or temporarily tied into the bow pulpit. Keep your weight low for balance and avoid stepping on the slippery sailcloth.
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3
Free the halyard from its temporary tie-down if it was tied down.
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Attach the halyard to the headboard. You may have to slacken the halyard enough to allow the shackle end to reach the headboard.
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Look aloft to ensure the halyard can run free.
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Run the jib sheets aft to the cockpit and make stopper knots in the bitter ends so they don't escape through the running blocks. Secure the sheets by taking a single wrap around a cleat.
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Return to the mast or cockpit area where the other end of the halyard was secured.
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Turn the boat into the eye of the wind.
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Release the sheets if they have been secured.
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Raise the sail hand-over-hand until the load becomes too heavy. Then use a winch if one is provided. The jib will flap until you turn off the wind.
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Tighten the headsail until a few wrinkles form along the leading edge.
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Secure and coil the halyard.
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Turn off the wind and haul in on the leeward jib sheet to adjust the sail. The windward sheet should be free of the shrouds and any deck gear.
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Tips & Warnings
A halyard should always be secured to some point on the boat or held in your hand. Never allow a halyard to run free, or it may disappear up the mast. After the first time you've retrieved one from the top of the mast, you'll never make the same mistake again.
Use extreme caution whenever you leave the cockpit. Always wear a personal flotation device.
