Question 97 Deck General

You are correct, the answer is A) It allows the sail to catch more wind. When shifting to a course where the wind comes more from astern (behind the boat), easing the mainsheet allows the sail to luff and catch more wind. This increases the drive and power of the sail, which is necessary as the wind is now coming from a more favorable, aft direction. The other options are incorrect - B) decreasing the force needed to haul the mainsheet is not the primary purpose, C) bringing the head of the sail down is not the effect, and D) bringing the boom more fore and aft is also not the main reason for easing the mainsheet in this situation.