"Pim" wrote in message ...
tieing the boom will not prevent a jibe, It will only prevent the boom
coming over.

true

A few months ago, I was sailing with my girlfriend Kim on a little Vanguard
420. It's my sister's boat and it was our first time sailing it. Kim moved,
switching sides while we headed downwind, and the shift was enough to cause
an accidental jibe. The boom flew over my head but it caught her in the face
and broke her nose.

Now she won't sail on a boat without a real cockpit. She calls the 420 the
"evil boat".

I think most sailors get hit with the boom once... only once.

I did on a pram when I was little, but that's another story.

It's a right of passage.

Some safety gizmo might lessen the blow, but it won't keep your ego untamed.

John.