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= Parachute Sail = A parachute sail is a type of downwind sail that can be rigged at the bow of a sailing yacht. They are generally made by converting a standard aircraft parachute. The Advantages of such a sail are that it is self stabilising and can be flown in a wide range of wind conditions for downwind sailing. Such sails may be used between 15 and 40 knots of wind.



Construction
The Parachute sail is constructed by taking the lines of a standard parachute which are gathered into two groups. One group becomes the top of the sail and is linked by a Spinnaker halyard to the top of the mast. The other set are connected to the bow of the boat, usually by a line run through the bow roller or via a block attached to it. This lower line is known as the power line and is the main one through which thrust is provided to the vessel. The two sets of lines are connected by a linking line which allows stable operation by maintaining tension in the halyard.



Operation
To fly the sail it is first linked to the halyard and the power line run through the bow roller or block. the yacht must be oriented so that the wind is around 165 degrees off the bow The sail is launched over the leeward side of the bow. The sail should be hoisted on the halyard until it is possible to hang it over the rail without entering the water. It is generally advisable to determine the position of the halyard in this condition before it is to be used and mark it. Set the Halyard to this point when launching.

The power line is connected to the lower set of parachute lines and its free end can be tied to mooring cleat. In use the power line is not adjusted.

When flying the sail it may be adjusted by lengthening the halyard allowing the sail to fly progressively lower as wind strength increases. This risks the sail entering the water if wind strength decreases but this is not a huge problem.