A jibe or gybe is a sailing maneuver where a sailing vessel turns its stern through the wind, such that the wind direction changes from one side of the boat to the other. For square-rigged ships, this is called wearing ship and involves bringing the ship before the wind with braces carefully controlling the sails.
In this maneuver the mainsail will cross the center of the boat while the jib is pulled to the other side of the boat. If the spinnaker is up, the pole will have to be manually moved from one corner of the sail to the other. In a dinghy it is sometimes necessary to raise the centerboard to prevent the boat from capsizing during this somewhat violent maneuver.
The other way to change the side of the boat that faces the wind tack is turning the bow of the boat through the direction of the wind. This operation is known as tacking or coming about.
