Hanks
Piston hanks and jib hanks are used for sail attachment. Traditionally, hanks consist of a short piece of rope spliced or sewn into or around the bolt rope, but can also be made of wire. For staysails like jib sails and other sail types, in traditional sailing forged metal hanks or jib hank shackles are often used. Piston hanks are another variant of fixing the sail to the stay. There are many different types of jib hanks - for example, sew-on piston hanks that are sewn into the sail, single hand jib hanks or folding D-hanks. They offer the advantage of …
… being able to attach and detach the sail from the stay quickly and easily. So rapid sail changes are possible.