Parasailing is a popular aero sport that involves the thrill of flying high like a bird. It is a recreational activity turned into a sport in which the participant is tied with a canopy wing also known as a parasail wing. Parasailing is also regarded as parascending and parakiting.
This wing is then toed by a vehicle allowing the participant to stay above the ground. This usually moves behind a car, truck or by a boat.
During parasailing, the harness of the wing is attached to the parasail with a specialized tow rope. Around two or three people together can sail behind a powerful boat at the same time.
In parasailing, the participants focus on balancing themselves while being towed behind a vehicle with a canopy wing. There's always a vehicle that carries the participant by towing him/her.
The more accurately the parasailors land on the target area, the more scores they gain. The parasailor with maximum scores at the end wins the event.
The participants usually referred to as the parascender, has very limited control over the movement of the parachute. The sport is full of adventure, thrills. The commercial parasailing sports are popular worldwide where the driver releases the low rope of the parasailers in such a way that they fall on a specific target area.
In 1962, Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne developed the first ascending glider parachute. The sport of parasailing originated in the early 1960s, and since then it has been widely popular. By 1962, Lemoigne organized an Aeronautical Training Center intending to develop the glider parachute for proper training of the parachutists.
In 1974, the first self-contained parasailing launching device and a recovery vessel along with a hydraulic assist were invented by Mark McCulloh. By 1976, his paragliding techniques were patented, regarded as WINCHBOAT.
Today, these Winchboats are used for all the commercial parasailing events globally. Later in 1976, Brian Gaskin invented the first 16 gore designed canopy known as 'Waterbird'. This waterbird design was revolutionary because of its special harness arrangement and construction.
With the success of Waterbird, Gaskin founded the company, Waterbird Parakite. It is still active in the market and produces 16 gore parasails. In the 1990s, the Waterbird Parakites and Custom Chutes Incorporation introduced more designing advancements to the original Gaskin design which could carry almost double weight and more riders with an increased diameter and air resistance.
In April 2013, the world's first-ever ASTM parasailing weather standard was permitted with the support of WSIA, with the parasail committee head Matthew Dvorak who was also the Daytona Beach Parasail Incorporation's operator.
Today, there are many leading trade associations for the proper management of parasailing such as the Commercial Winchboat Operators Association (CWOA), The Parasail Safety Council along with Professional Association of Parasail Operators (PAPO) which manage the safety of the participants.
