[Paddlewise] Kayaks towed by motorboats (was Jet Ski Buddies)

Ralph wrote:
>Another experiment you may want to try with jet ski buddies is to have
>them tow you boat with you in it.  I am not really certain what is the
>best way to do this and would like to see some experimenting done.  Here
>in NYC we have a round Manhattan swim with kayak escorts.  The way the
>race is run, invariably many of the kayakers are caught in a situation
>where they face 3 knot currents against them to get back to the takeout,
>and this after having paddled 30 miles.  Motorboat escorts have
>attempted to tow the paddlers back and in most cases the kayakers being
>towed dump.
>
>I suspect that some pattern of towing would eliminate this unfortunate
>development but I don't know what.  One would be for the kayaks to raft
>up in twos and threes and make certain the motorboat doesn't go too
>fast. To my knowledge the swim escort kayaks have not done that.


...Ralph, there were at least a few attempts to raft kayaks for a tow
against the current at last year's swim.  I'm not aware how they all fared,
but I do know that at least one group called off the attempt because they
couldn't prevent forceful side-side collisions while under tow.  From what I
observed and overheard, the tows were successful when the motorboaters
throttled down to speeds that were reasonable for the kayak hulls and for
the bracing reflexes of the kayakers (the swells were generally small, but
confused by heavy traffic and proximity to a concrete sea wall).

    Bob V

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