A staysail (“stays’l”) is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward (and most often but not always downwards) from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit, or to another mast (the mast is item 13 in the illustration right).
Why is it called a staysail?
On a sailing vessel, a staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail set on lines which run diagonally downward from a mast. These lines help support the weight of the mast and are called stays. Sails attached to them are therefore called staysails.
What does beating mean in sailing?
Beating is the procedure by which a ship moves on a zig-zag course to make progress directly into the wind (upwind). No sailing vessel can move directly upwind (though that may be the desired direction). … A ship that is beating will sail as close to the wind as possible; this position is known as close hauled.
What does jib mean?
A jib is a sail at the front of a sailboat. … Jib is also a verb, meaning “move to the opposite side of the ship” or “refuse to follow instructions.” The old-fashioned compliment “I like the cut of your jib,” or “I like the way you look,” comes from nautical slang, in which jib meant “face.”
What does I like the cut of your jib mean?
One’s general appearance or personality, as in I don’t like the cut of Ben’s jib. In the 17th century the shape of the jib sail often identified a vessel’s nationality, and hence whether it was hostile or friendly. The term was being used figuratively by the early 1800s, often to express like or dislike for someone.
What is a luff in sailing?
Luff –A sail’s forward edge. The luff of the mainsail is usually hoisted up and attached to the mast. The luff of the jib is attached to the forestay. Leech – The sail’s back edge. Foot – The bottom edge of the sail.
What causes luffing?
Luffing is when the sail is flapping in the wind. It occurs when the sail has been set too far out and needs to be trimmed in. On a windy day if you held a bed sheet up in the wind it would flap wildly – that’s luffing. Luffing would occur also when the wind shifted forward towards the front of the boat.
Why do America’s Cup boats zig zag?
An America’s Cup racing course is set so the six legs are directly into or with the wind. Sailing directly into the wind, upwind or uphill, is impossible. So to reach a mark upwind, the boats have to follow a zig-zag course, known as a beat, pointing as close as possible to the wind.
What is meant by luffing?
1 : the act of sailing a ship nearer the wind. 2 : the forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail. luff. verb. luffed; luffing; luffs.
What does 3 sheets in the wind mean?
To be “three sheets to the wind” is to be drunk. The sheet is the line that controls the sails on a ship. If the line is not secured, the sail flops in the wind, and the ship loses headway and control. If all three sails are loose, the ship is out of control.
What is a jib arm?
A jib or jib arm is the horizontal or near-horizontal beam used in many types of crane to support the load clear of the main support. … Usually jib arms are attached to a vertical mast or tower or sometimes to an inclined boom.
Is jib a Scrabble word?
Yes, jib is in the scrabble dictionary.
What does running your jib mean?
Jib is defined as to stop and not go back, or to make an adjustment in a sail so it will shift in the wind. An example of jib is to come to a halt in the middle of a race.
Where does cut of your jib come from?
‘ The term originated in the sailing navies of the mid-18th century, when the nationality of warships sighted at sea could be accurately determined by the shape of their jib long before the national flag could be seen.
How much does a jib cost?
Replacing the jib and main sail on a 24′ Bermuda sloop will typically cost between $1,000-$2,500. Sails on mid-sized boats (34′) will generally cost between $3,000-$5,000. Prices can greatly vary depending on boat length, sail material, quality of fabric, and so on.
What is the difference between jib and boom?
“The jib is the fixed steel arm on a crane from which the lifting ropes hang i.e the top T section on a tower crane or on the front of a crawler crane. The jib is fixed in length . A boom is the extendable arm on a mobile crane operated by hydraulics. Mobile cranes sometimes have a jib fixed on the end of the boom”.
What does 7 sheets to the wind mean?
Idiom: ‘Seven sheets to the wind’
Meaning: If someone is seven sheets to the wind, they are very drunk.
What does six sheets to the wind mean?
Derived from sailing ships. The ‘sheet’ in the phrase uses the nautical meaning of a rope that controls the trim of sail. If a sheet is loose, the sail flaps and doesn’t provide control for the ship. … For loose sheets to have this effect there would have to be six loose sheets, three to windward and three to leeward.
What does two sheets to the wind?
slang Extremely drunk. Most likely derived from nautical terminology, in which a “sheet” is the rope that controls the sails of a tall ship; if several sheets are loose or mishandled, the boat’s movement becomes unsteady and difficult to control, like that of a drunk person.
What is luffing and slewing?
The ability to lift and slew a load is common to all cranes. … To luff means to move the jib of a crane vertically to lift a load. A luffing jib moves under power (hydraulic or cable) with a load or into a working angle to lift a load.
What does it mean to luff up?
Luffing up, luff up, luffing, pinching, feathering are all nautical terminology that refer to a sailing boat that is turning towards the wind or holding itself close to the wind, We take a close look at this common sailing expression. … I am going to “luff up” or “I am luffing up”. It’s the opposite of bearing away.