Late Main Jibe

This video shows how to do a “Late Main Gybe” with an asymmetrical spinnaker. Executing an effective Late Main Gybe is critical to winning races because the boat has to turn less to refill the chute...the jibe is faster...and you sail a shorter course. Delaying the boom’s crossing avoids the main blanketing the spinnaker as it is trying to re-fill. In a Late boom gybe, the helmsperson needs to stop the boat’s turn just beyond dead downwind. At this point the spinnaker is almost completely on the new leeward side and the boom is being held out to the old leeward side. The boat will be wing-on-wing for second before the turn is completed. If the boom comes across too soon, the boat will have to head up too much in order to get the wind in front of the main for the spinnaker to re-fill, which adds extra distance and more time with the chute not pulling.