[petith]

When tacking, the helmsman says "hard alee" which I''m told is a corruption of "helm''s a lee," i.e. "the tiller is being put to the leeward side." When jibing, the words are "jibe ho" which I''ve always just thought of as a general exclamation attached to the action about to take place. Am I correct, or is there a more specific reason we say "jibe ho" as opposed to "jibe yeah" or "jibe woof" or whatever? (And yes, I already know that a jibe ho is just a looser winch wench.)