A spinnaker is a special sail on a racing or sailing boat. It is not the ordinary tall sail you picture.

A spinnakerSpinnaker is是 a special sail一種特別的帆 on a racing or sailing boat賽船或帆船上。It它 is not the ordinary tall sail you picture不是你腦中那種普通的高帆。

It is set at the FRONT of the boat, it is very large, very light and rounded like a balloon when it fills, and it is often brightly coloured with stripes or patterns — so on TV, the big colourful bubble of cloth pulling a yacht along is the spinnaker. The crew only put it up when the wind is coming from behind the boat, pushing it forward; with wind from the side it is no use and it comes down.

It它 is set at the FRONT of the boat裝在船的最前端，it is very large, very light非常大、非常輕 and rounded like a balloon when it fills鼓起來的時候圓得像顆氣球，and it is often brightly coloured with stripes or patterns而且常常有鮮豔的條紋或圖案——so所以 on TV電視上看到 the big colourful bubble of cloth pulling a yacht along那個拖著遊艇跑、色彩繽紛的大布球 is the spinnaker就是spinnaker。The crew船員 only put it up才會升起它 when the wind is coming from behind the boat只有在風從船後面吹來、pushing it forward把船往前推的時候；with wind from the side風從側面吹來的話 it is no use它就沒用 and it comes down要收下來。

Because it is so big and light, raising and lowering it is the exciting, risky moment of a race — sailors talk about 'flying' a spinnaker, and about it collapsing. The word is technical: outside sailing, boat-racing coverage and coastal towns, most English speakers know the shape but not the name. Sailors often shorten it to 'kite' or 'chute' among themselves.

Because it is so big and light正因為它又大又輕，raising and lowering it升起和降下它 is the exciting, risky moment of a race是比賽裡令人興奮、又有風險的時刻——sailors talk about水手會說 'flying' a spinnaker「飛」（flying）一個spinnaker，and about it collapsing也會說它「垮掉」（collapsing）。The word這個字 is technical是技術性的：outside sailing, boat-racing coverage and coastal towns在帆船運動、賽船報導和海邊城鎮之外，most English speakers大多數英語人士 know the shape but not the name只認得那個形狀，不知道那個名字。Sailors水手 often shorten it之間常常把它簡稱為 to 'kite' or 'chute' among themselves「kite」或「chute」。