Quote:
Originally Posted by Thumbs Up
Geneoa/Jib is like the difference between a rectangle and a square. A square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not (necessarily) a square.
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In working practice we usually hear of all headsails attached to the forestay as being jibs, as in "Let's put up a jib". Some jibs are overlapping, others are not. Overlapping jibs are called genoas. There are other types of jibs, such as storm jibs, jib tops, drifters, etc. The code numbers refer to sizes, 0 or 1 being the biggest. I know of boats which carry no overlapping
sails, they still have a #1.
Sails flown ahead of the mast which are not attached to the forestay, but to an inner stay, are called "staysails", not jibs (or genoas).
Sails not attached to any stay are called flying sails, such as spinnakers, genakers, code zeros, screechers, etc.
The appellations vary based on
marketing and whatever usage is common among sailors in a type of boat or locale.
On most race boats if the
wind gets too light and too far forward to carry a
spinnaker the
skipper may say, “Let’s put up the jib.” If the foredeck fetches a #3 non-overlapping jib instead of a genoa, he may get relegated soon thereafter to
running backstays. If he argues, "But you said jib, not genoa!", he may be off the boat.