Long may your big jib draw

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Meaning

May you enjoy good luck and favourable conditions for a long time. Traditional toast or farewell; now also used ceremonially Regional use: Newfoundland and Labrador, with related Atlantic Canadian awareness.

Origin

A Newfoundland good wish based on schooner sailing. A jib that continues to draw is filled effectively by the wind, helping the vessel make way and handle difficulty. The Dictionary of Newfoundland English records the phrase in 1937 as a salutation offered with a drink of Jamaica rum and explains the nautical image. It later became part of some screech-in ceremonies, but those ceremonies did not create it.

Variants

  • and long may your big jib draw
  • deed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw

Usage Examples

  • The skipper raised his glass: long may your big jib draw.
  • You have a new boat and a fair forecast; long may your big jib draw.

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