HEAD 



SAIL RIDES 

 ALONG TRACK 

 ON MAST 



BATTEN POCKETS 



CLEW 



Parts of a jib-headed mainsail 



Jib-headed Mainsail. As you can see by the illustration, this type of sail 

 is essentially a triangle. But note that it is long on the luff, relatively 

 short on the foot. In the strictest sense, this sail is not a perfect triangle, 

 for the leech is cut on a long, gentle curve between head and clew to give 

 it extra fullness— and therefore provide extra drive for the boat— when 

 reaching or running. You will see this extra fullness, called the "roach" 

 in the drawing. It's that portion of the sail between the dotted line and 

 the leech. And while we are speaking of the roach we might as well point 

 out the battens. A sail's roach has a tendency to either sag or flap, depend- 

 ing upon the state of the wind; to prevent this, battens are inserted in spe- 

 cial pockets along the leech. Battens are narrow, smooth and thin, but 



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