Andy, thanks for your send...you hit upon all the important points. Right now we're messing about with fiberglass fishing pole blanks in order to make something akin to Laurie's design. If you want a good laugh, our experience with a 54-inch, zero-porosity drogue chute (okay, my BASE jump drogue chute)...was a REAL BAD IDEA! On down with friends in Florida we tried using a drogue and spent a vast amount of time and energy screwing with the friggin thing. A sail is a sail, and is what it's designed for.