A large parachute-like headsail of very light material used mainly for running downwind, but also carried in a beam wind when it is said to be set Shy. First introduced in 1865, the spinnaker was not always so balloon-shaped as it commonly is today, and even now a smaller and flatter type is used by some cruising owners. The sail is set with a pole to one lower corner, controlled by the Guy, and has a sheet to the other corner, though those who are not constrained by racing rules may use two poles, or none, or they may opt for a cruising chute.