3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 28

Parasailing
P
arasailing, also known as
parascending or parakiting, is a
recreational kiting activity where
a person is towed behind a vehicle
(usually a boat) while attached to a
specially designed canopy wing that
resembles a parachute, known as
a parasail wing. The manned kite’s
moving anchor may be a car, truck, or
boat. The harness attaches the pilot to
the parasail, which is connected to the
boat, or land vehicle, by the tow rope.
The vehicle then drives off, carrying the
parascender (or wing) and person into
the air. If the boat is powerful enough,
two or three people can parasail
behind it at the same time. The
parascender has little or no control
over the parachute. The activity is
primarily a fun ride, not to be confused
with the sport of paragliding.
There are commercial parasailing
operations all over the world. Land-
based parasailing has also been
transformed into a competition sport
in Europe.The winner of the world
28
Championship In 2017 is Teo
Hernández
Martínez
(Spain)
In
land-based competition parasailing,
the parasail is towed to maximum
height behind a 4-wheel drive
vehicle. The driver then releases
the tow line; the parasailer flies
down to a target area in an accuracy
competition. The sport was developed
in the early 1980s and has been
very popular ever since. The first
international competitions were held
in the mid 1980s and continue to this
day.
Parachute Versus Parasailing
Both the parachute and parasail
can ascend and glide. The primary
difference between the two is that
the parasail is more stable and
efficient during the ascent mode when
Manta Ray
being towed aloft with minimum
or zero steering control by the
parasailor. The parachute is not
efficient when towed and is primarily
used for skydiving where the
parachutist can fully control the
Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019