Surfski Knowledge Base

Kevin Olney
03/04/16 #18716

I'm trying to understand what is the point in prohibiting/limiting drafting in an open water paddle race. If there is a mass start and everyone is racing the same course then what difference does it make who drafts who? Doesn't everyone have the same opportunity to catch a ride behind a faster craft or work together with whoever they can?

I can see in a flat water time trial scenario where you would need consistent conditions to have comparable times. Another situation would be in a relay type event where racers are starting their leg at different times so not everyone has the same drafting opportunities.

It almost seems more unfair to limit drafting to just in-class/gender. Say I am midway through a race on my surfski and I have been even with an OC the whole time (both of us doing our best not to draft each other) and there is a pack of skis ahead of us. One ski falls off the back of the pack and I make a move and catch up with him and sit on his wake for a few minutes to recover before attempting to pass. Meanwhile my buddy on the OC pulls up to us but can't legally get in on the draft so shortly falls back. It doesn't seem fair to him just because the boat he caught up to wasn't in his class that he can't draft it.

Additionally, where exactly does “drafting” begin? Right on somebody's stern? On their wing? 2 boat lengths back? 5? 10? It seems pretty open to interpretation.

Now if someone is bashing your boat with their paddle (or your paddle with their boat) that is a separate issue entirely. Also the practice of riding someone's wake all race and sprinting past them at the finish is a sportsmanship thing, not something that should be enforced by rules in my opinion.

Just some thought I had swimming around. I'm curious what others think.

Kevin O

Jerome Truran
03/04/16 #18717

I agree. The more drafting, the more fun, less work and more interesting the race. Also, it eliminates any squabbling after, about rules infringements and what exactly constitutes drafting/not drafting. I mean, one has to be pretty darned skilled to get an advantage from drafting, anyway. It's not like it's a free ride. Used to be, in the old K boats, but these long, skinny skis and outriggers nowadays…

Jerome

Larry <lbussinger@…>
03/04/16 #18721

Guess I have to agree, it's part of the race. For instance, Reivers isn't faster than me, he just made a better selection of who to draft at the LaConner race. I shouldn't have picked an OC-2. 😀
Larry B

Nicholas Cryder

03/04/16 #18722

Well we will all be on hydrofoils before we know it. And then we can look back at the old days and remember drafting and how much fun it was. And how slow we all are

romoigula

03/04/16 #18723

Kevin, I think it's important to note that in your scenario the OC isn't racing against you. It's racing against the other OC. Note the stacks of blue ribbons at these events.

If you're going to draft off anything that floats you might as well have a buddy bring a jet ski and a tow rope. There's got to be a line somewhere and most events with rules say that line is in class.

-Romo-

duncanhowat
03/04/16 #18724

I guess I'm on the other side of this, at least for “the real races”. Wed nite beer can races, most sound rowers,who really cares. But if it's more international in scope, then in class only. Gender only. On the bigger stage I think it would look a little hokie to have that. Separate starts does away with most of those issues. Try doing that in Hawaii and you'd probably be banned, or receive some unpleasant words. To me downwind surfski racing is what it's really about, and trying to draft in those situations is mostly pointless. At least if it's blowing. Speaking of waves, fri early afternoon I took my power boat out to put some time on the motor, blowing about 25-30 and went down the wall and way out in the bay down to Samish Island. It was interesting to study the waves and rebound around the wall; waves meeting waves out of Chuckanut Bay, and then out past the middle to see those patterns, and do it all in a relaxed manner with complete impunity. Not puckerd up. That was fun. Surfing home was good too.

Kevin Olney
03/04/16 #18731

Thanks for all the input. I do agree that in proper downwind conditions and in big water it's all pretty irrelevant, but even international races are sometimes flat or have flat sections. I also understand that it's a common rule, “no drafting out of class”, but I still don't get why.

If everybody starts on the same line and finishes at the same point then no one racer has any competitive advantage over anybody else by drafting whomever they can. It's all equal right? Everybody has the same opportunity to draft other racers.

The more I think about it the more it vexes me. A woman can't mix it up with the lead pack because she's only racing against the other women?

I think drafting is a significant component of paddle racing, especially locally in our sheltered corner of the world. It's a real thing. Mocke has a whole sub chapter about it in his book, claiming 20-30% less effort required to paddle in a slip or wash. I think it just adds a fun dimension as well. Of course I'll always respect the race director's rules for any given event. Just my thoughts.

KO

P.S. The image of all of us flying around the Wed night course on foil-yaks is a little disturbing. Picture the carnage at the first turn…

Nicholas Cryder

03/04/16 #18733

Well Kevin, because of the added speed we'll all be racing down to the island and back. But that doesn't account for the tangled kite lines… didn't want to bring those up.

Lbussinger <lbussinger@…>
03/05/16 #18734

Guess i'll have to back up one step; like Duncan says, for the “real” races there should be no question of who is fastest as there is more at stake. But local races are for fun and drafting out of class just adds to the sport. As for OOC, leave it with just OC's and doubles as i can't imagine not having to worry about Heather! She's keeping me from getting old.
When we start getting twenty or thirty women out there, that can change.

Larry Bussinger

michael.medler@…

03/05/16 #18735

If a surfski and an OC find themselves next to each other 15 minutes after a shared start, I can assure you they are racing each other.