A KITE WITH A HOLE IN IT

02 Jan 2012

PARASAILOR: A KITE WITH A HOLE IN IT

Billed as "the most unexciting spinnaker ever," the Parasailor is a symmetric sail that can be set with or without a pole. What makes it uique—and easier to handle than a conventional kite—is an enormous mid-girth aperture with a horizontal wing set in it. This generates lift and stabilizes the sail, making it less likely to collapse on itself. The aperture also acts aas a vent and "pressure relief valve" that allows gusts of wind to pass through the sail. The sail's stability and the lift it generates maredly reduces a oat's tendency to yaw, pitch or broach under it, allowing a crew to cleat the sheet and steer by autopilot. According to ISTEC (istec.ag), the sail's manufacturer, the Parasailor can be flown at apparent wind angles ranging 70 to 180 degrees.

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