Howdy,

(Finally got a moment I'm pretending is free to respond in!) We sail with the jib a fair bit. Our kids think it's fun and it is a bit faster--especially if you have several people aboard. No question it's not nearly as cool as Rick's Hooter (but we are still saving up for that--and trying to figure out if it would fit on the trailer anyway!).

Couple of things that can give you some anxiety with a jib--it'll flap like crazy if it's not filled with wind (including every time you tack or if the sheet's just a bit loose). wannahobie is right about the jib being a tacking aid. Let it backwind until you're well around and then switch the sheet to the leeward side of the mast. One problem we often have (especially with several people aboard is that you have to make sure no one's got a foot or knee or whatever on the sheet. You kind of have to train people that when you call for a tack or jibe, that's one of the things they need to check before they tell you they're ready.

One thing you have to be a bit careful of is that the starboard jib sheet (and sometimes even the port one if the jib's really flapping) can easily foul on the mainsail halyard cleat. I don't have a great trick for keeping it clear of that, but if you get the release timing right (and have a little tension on the leeward sheet as you release the windward sheet), it usually doesn't get caught.

A last thing (which you have no doubt already figured out by now). I noted it flaps like crazy if not trimmed tightly enough, well, if while luffing wildly, the clew (where the sheet attaches) hits someone sitting on the forward part of the hull, it can hurt (especially if you have some hardware there to facilitate attaching the sheets rather than just a couple of knots). When the jib is coming around to the leeward side after a turn, you don't want anyone on the forward part of the leeward hull (they'd also be in the way of the sheet you'll be trying to tighten). And, if you're sailing along and drift off the point of sail your jib is trimmed for, you can ding someone pretty severely if the jib starts to luff with someone sitting on the forward part of the leeward hull (this is rare because of the sheet's making it an awkward place to sit). The thing is, you have to get used to finding a different spot on the boat if you have several people aboard and you're not used to the jib.

In general, getting smacked in the head (usually the target, it seems) by the clew of the jib isn't terribly likely because the sheet is going to make it awkward for someone to sit on the forward leeward hull (although our kids sometimes like to get in there after the jib is trimmed). The trick is, if you have someone on the forward windward hull, they'll need to coordinate moving to the other side as you turn so that they don't end up with the jib luffing like anything right in their face as it comes around. Again, if they don't move in time, they'd be in the way of the sheet anyway, but a failed tack because you couldn't sheet in the jib when you wanted to is a lot worse if someone's nursing a bruised head too.

All the best breezes!