The Parachute Sail Parachute Sail A parachute sail is a type of downwind sail [1] [2] that can be rigged at the bow of a sailing yacht and are similar to the kite sails being developed for larger vessels. They are generally made by converting a standard aircraft parachute. This is different from a traditional spinnaker [3] or the more modern parasailor [4] The Advantages of such a sail are that it is self-stabilizing 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. Parachute sails are manufactured commercially [5] but may also be easily constructed from military surplus 'chutes. In this case it is essential to obtain a parachute with its line uncut. Using a parachute sail in the Caribbean. The Parachute sail is rigged at the bow between a spinnaker halyard and a power line conected via the boaw roller Construction The Parachute sail is constructed by taking the lines of a standard parachute wh