===== CORA survey on drafting =====

**Reivers Dustin** \\
10/02/15 #18086

The drafting topic is on OC race organizer's minds. My two bits: impossible to enforce. Most races have one best line. This means drafting happens. You going to try to tell people when they pass? How wide? How far back to stay? What kind of boats they can follow? Ridiculous. For example I have slow starts. Can't help it. So I've learned to hurry up later in the race. Oh well.

I appreciate the bitterness of pulling someone most of the race so they can stuff me at the end. Hate it. And I hate being late to the start line at the gun. Hate it when an OC boat pushes me off line using their amma. Hate paddlers hitting my boat with their paddle. Not so keen on being whupped. Races are messy. There's lots to complain about. If it's too much, go home, get an erg and write down your output wattage. Otherwise ease up, come out and play with everyone. School's out you guys. Someone already let the dogs out. It's not perfectly safe, it's not perfectly fair, but it sure is fun.

rd

**Jerome Truran** \\
10/02/15 #18087

Agree with you, Rievers. Wash riding is an art form and part of the tactical racing game. Skilled practitioners can still get a benefit 30m out on the 4th or 5th wave. Not happy with someone drafting, then work with them to catch the next bunch or drop them or slow down briefly (reaching for juice tube, fake adjusting of GPS - lots of tricks) to give them a turn to pull. Believe me, if someone's on your wave and won't pull, it's because they're hanging on. Drop 'em, look for dirty water, zig zag, fast and slow, cut the next turn, you don't need rules for this. Give them the 2 min grind to the end or slow and be ready to duke it out for nose supremacy as they try and slingshot past you at the end. This tactical racing game, where a skilled wash rider can stay with a group or two breakaway paddlers can work together to ensure a gold or silver, then duke it out after, IS the game. If you take this out, you might as well just see who the best physiological paddler is, take VO2 Max tests, measure body fat, heart rate recovery rate etc and award the prizes. Or go down to the basement and grind it out on the ergs - highest wattage output wins. Yay

**ianafield** \\
10/03/15 #18100

Oof, yeah, can you imagine the snivel-fest that would come at the end of every event?? Perhaps the best way to minimize wash-riding would be to have races where there are waves already.

Ian

**Brandon Nelson** \\
10/03/15 #18102

I got a good laugh when I read this sentence in your post, Jerome: "Believe me, if someone's on your wave and won't pull, it's because they're hanging on." How about you Ian? Did that put a bit of a smirk on your face?\\
:)

**Larry <lbussinger@…>**

10/03/15 #18103

Good posts. I agree, drafting becomes the game.\\
Larry B

**Larry <lbussinger@…>**

10/03/15 #18104

After some thought, I had to add to my post. It's a bit more complicated than just hanging on, although it often is. It takes 10% extra to go over that wake to pass and if you are that much better than the person you're drafting, then you would probably be ahead! If a person has been drafting for a while and you want them to pull, then you need to bear off and slow down for a second for them to pass over the wake. But then you are in the position of climbing over their wake! In 25 years of paddling, only one time have I shared the pulling duties for any length of time. I didn't even know the guy. We'd paddle for a couple of minutes then switch….did it for many miles before the wave pattern made it too difficult to do.\\
The only other way to pass is for you to time the waves right and sprint like hell.\\
Drafting becomes the game.\\
Larry B

**duncanhowat** \\
10/02/15  #18089

(....) About drafting having seperate starts at the salmon roe worked great to shut down out of class drafting. In class drafting; well , have you tried drafting in bigger waves? The gorge? Hawaii? Real hard to do. So when surfskis are being used for their real purpose drafting isn't much of a issue. Flat water --boring , and that's not what the boats were designed for so draft away and pretend your in a bike race. And don't wine about it

**bill** \\
10/02/15  #18090

I'm somewhat confused.. I understand not out of class drafting ..kinda, but what's the argument against wake/wash riding within class in a race like  The salmon row?   Isn't this legal in every kayaking/ ski event outside of sprint?  Are the arguments against doing it solely because some people don't like it even though it's been part of the sport forever?  I'm serious about wanting to know what the deal is as there was a lot of wash riding going on at the salmon row myself included. I was dropped from the wash I was on by my own mistake  and that's fine with me. I was on the end of a 4 paddler wash ride and I was just hanging on... If I had hung in there to the end I don't think I could have out sprinted anyone to the finish..... What exactly is wrong with that? I'm honestly curious.

Bill