The jib has a wire (luff wire) that becomes the forestay when properly rigged. It must take the full load of the rig to perform properly. The H16 "forestay" only holds the mast up when the jib is not hoisted. So, yes... tension the rig with the jib halyard and the forestay goes slack. It just hangs in a shallow arch of about 3-4 inches or more. Some sailors tie a small bungee to the forestay to pull some tension forward and keep it from flopping around.