Gybing

Gybing - mention the very word among a group of sailors and expect a sudden darkening of the mood accompanied by hollow laughter. Changing direction when heading downwind may not sound like a big deal but is the cause of more capsizes than any other manoeuvre. Even the most experienced helmsman will fear a gybe when the wind is blowing with any degree of enthusiasm.

The casual observer aboard a dinghy for the first time may think the gybe appears deceptively relaxed when compared with the seemingly more dramatic tack. This is because the boat has the wind at its stern and its occupants feel little or no breeze on their faces. But things are a lot more marginal than they seem. Whereas in the tack, where the dinghy will slow dramatically as it passes through the no-go zone, during a gybe, it retains full speed ahead and gets no relief from the power of the wind.

The result can be a fearful scything of the boom across the cockpit and unless the helmsman quickly centres the rudder, the boat will crash round on to a beam reach and most likely capsize.

When idly sailing on a training run, with the wind more or less exactly from behind, there is a distinct danger of the dreaded 'crash gybe' when main sail accidentally passes through the wind and sailing bliss rapidly turns to sailing horror.

Oh no the gybe is not to be mocked my friend.