Can you sail with just a jib (no main sail)?

Question

Can you sail with just a jib (no main sail)?

Answer 1

Absolutely, if there's plenty of wind. Usually you want both sails up because wind in the main causes the boat to "round up" (point into the wind) and wind in the jib causes the boat to "fall off" (point away from the wind), so if you only have one sail up, you have to fight harder with the tiller. However, sailing with just a jib is a useful technique for special circumstances. For instance, if you need to dock under sail it is easier to manage just one sail, especially if you don't have a large crew. Or, if you are headed downwind but the wind is very light and you don't have a spinnaker on board, you may want just the jib because the mainsail can be hard to manage in these conditions.

Answer 2

Yes but there are limitations. Most boats will only go down wind under jib alone. Reaching is iffy. A lot depends on the geometry of your jib and the underwater profile of your hull.

Answer 3

yes, but it wouldn't go very fast lol

Answer 4

Yes.

Answer 5

you can but its quite slow and pointless youd only do it if you were coming to land and you had an onshore wind.

Have Fun

Answer 6

Yes, you can. Depending on the boat performance varies. Most boats do better o both as they were designed for. It is safer to dock under main than jib. Our boat sails better under just main. The dinghy needs both for any performance.