Chuting to New Heights : Recreation: Para-sailing, long the sport of vacationers in exotic locales, makes its debut at Ventura Harbor.

Jim Lodl hates heights and he’s not crazy about swimming. So the 25-year-old Ventura mechanic admits he was a bit nervous slipping his cowboy boots through the harness of a parachute that would soon lift him hundreds of feet above the chilly Pacific Ocean.

Once aloft, Lodl forgot his timidity as he maneuvered the parachute from side to side like a kite and even flew upside down, giving the boat crew below quite a start.

“This is unbelievable,” he said after the ride. “Anybody can do it. I’d send up my mom. It’s a hundred times better than in Mazatlan.”

Para-sailing, that high-flying ride pictured on exotic vacation postcards, has come to Ventura Harbor.

It isn’t really parachuting, and it has nothing to do with sailing. Those addicted to feats of derring-do say it doesn’t match the adrenaline rush of bungee jumping. Nonetheless they agree that it’s quite a thrill.

Blue Edge Parasailing opened earlier this month to hesitant inquiries from passersby, a bit unsure of the sleek powerboat with its specially designed flight deck, mast and powerful pneumatic winch.

“A lot of people just don’t know what para-sailing is,” said Brett Perrin, the fledgling entrepreneur. Some are leery at first that it’s similar to para-sailing in Mexico where fliers take off and land on the beach, he said.

With Perrin’s setup, thrill seekers take off and land on the boat while out on the open water. It’s easier and much safer, he said. The system is relatively new, and the closest similar operation is in Marina del Rey, he said.

Those who have paid the $38 for a 15-minute ride say they did not get wet or cold, nor did they have to do anything to open the chute.

“It’s foolproof,” Perrin said.

Once out past the harbor entrance, Perrin and his crew member, Wayne Pendrey, let the parachute unfurl on the flight deck. The customer steps into a harness and Perrin slowly releases the cable, sending the parachute billowing up to 300 feet above the water as the boat moves along.

As his rider’s feet dangle from the harness, Perrin slows the boat to let the chute float to within 50 feet from the water. Then he speeds up to lift the rider higher toward the heavens. The whole experience literally winds up when the powerful winch reels in the parachute like a kite until the rider touches down on the boat’s flight deck.

During the first two weekends of operation, the business drew a handful of fliers and plenty of inquiries from the curious who wanted to know if para-sailing was dangerous or difficult.

One man bought a ride for his father’s 50th birthday present. A mother and her children all took a ride. To fly solo, children must weigh at least 70 pounds, Perrin insists. He offers a cut-rate $20 price for children. Smaller children can ride in a special tandem harness with their parents.

“It was a rush,” said Katy Romofsky, 25, of Ventura who went up with three friends. “It was very quiet, just beautiful. I could see forever.” The scariest part, said Romofsky, a mortgage lender, was the anticipation.

Once business picks up, Perrin, a Carpinteria resident, said he expects to operate during the week. But so far, he has been open only on weekends, keeping his job as a special-education teacher in Santa Barbara. Perrin said he will be closed this weekend because of the holidays.

Perrin, 21, said he got the idea from his wife, Lisa, while camping along the coast and dreaming about potential business enterprises.

“We wanted to get a piece of the tourist dollar,” Perrin said. He bought a specially built boat, the Pegasus, from a para-sailing outfit at Lake Tahoe. He has $50,000 invested in the 33-foot boat and other aspects of the business.

When Perrin embarked on his new dream, he had no boating experience. Coast Guard regulations require a commercially licensed captain on board, and until he has the necessary hours for a license, he has an arrangement with a local captain to be on-board for every ride.

Blue Edge Parasailing operates out of a slip at Ventura Harbor Village, near the paddle boat rental office off Spinnaker Drive. Perrin isn’t worried about the recession cutting into the tourist trade.

When tourists go on vacation, they want to have fun, he said. “They save their money to do something fun.”