Parasail Boats
Parasailing is a recreational activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to a specially designed parachute. Parasail boats propel the pilot into the air by being driven at speed causing the parasail to float into the air. If the boat is powerful enough, two or three people can parasail behind it at the same time. The parascender has minimal control (if any) over the parachute.
Land based parasailing has also been formed into competition sport in Northern Europe and especially in Finland. In land based parasailing, the parasail is towed behind a car or a snowmobile. In accuracy competitions the tow-vehicle controls the speed and height, and the parascender controls the lateral movement of the parasail. The competitions consist of two parts: dropping or throwing a streamer to a target, and accuracy landing. The sport was developed at the end of the 1990s in growing rapidly. The first international competitions were held in 2004.
Six components form the make up of a typical parasail. A harness attaches the pilot to the parasail, which is connected to the parasail boat (or other speeding vehicle) by the tow rope. The activity is primarily an amusement ride, not to be confused with the sport of paragliding. There are parasailing locations all over the world.