Halyard tension affects what part of the sail?

• A. Leech tension and twist
• B. Draft near the luff
• C. Jib lead position
• D. Boom height

Answer: (A)

Halyard tension sets how taut the head of the sail is, and that directly affects the leech and how the sail twists. When you tighten the halyard, the head is pulled up hard against the mast, pulling on the top edge of the sail and increasing tension along the leech. That makes the leech harder and the upper portion of the sail fill differently from the lower portion, producing more or less twist depending on wind conditions. So adjusting halyard tension is a tool to tune how the leech behaves and how much twist the sail has. The other options relate to parts you adjust with different controls: luff draft, jib lead, or boom height.