What is a “Chinese jibe”? This is an unintentional downhaul where the upper portion of the mainsail goes from one tack to the other, swelling to its new position, while the lower portion and boom remain in their original position. It is often induced by excessively soft vang, which allows the boom to rise too high and the liner an unusual twist. Most often it is caused by excessive sudden upwind heeling of the boat during sterns in sustained wind and wave: the consequences can be catastrophic. If the explanation above is not clear to you, what better way to illustrate a “Chinese” with an image: the unfortunate “testimonials” in the photo above are aboard a Mumm 30 (now Farr 30) at the 2002 Tour de France a la Voile…
(photo taken from “The Best Sailing Videos and Photos” Facebook page)
