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Drafting etiquette?

Matuka Joe

I'll try to keep this brief - New to racing OC1s (and novice to OC really in general) have only done so twice. I recently paddled a race that had a Raging head wind with solid sloppy chop. A bit before 1/2 way through the race I caught up to a boat I had targeted and drafted right on his tail for about 2 min to get a breather. I then popped aside him and told him to draft off me for 2-3 min since I had just used him to cut through that wind. He did so and then we paddled side by side for a bit till at the turn I seemed to get the better line in the river and opened up a more sizable gap between us. My question is - Is there a Drafting etiquette in OC1? I ran long distance back in my teen years and just like you see athletes do today we drafted off the leader to pass them later. On the other hand there was usually a pack of us that would all take turns up front kind of an unwritten rule of sharing time pace setting (unless the guy was a real schmo - then you would just let him do the work till you felt like breaking him by zipping by). What's the thought in OC? I told that paddler to draft off me because it was early in the race and I didnt feel like it was good karma to draft him and not repay. On the other hand he was a young and strong guy and if we had been side by side at the finish (which turned back into the headwind) I had already had thoughts to draft and zip past right at the last 2-300 meters alla long distance running again. Thanks for any and all thoughts.

Aloha,
J

Submitted by Matuka Joe on Tue, 02/13/2007 - 10:30am

fuzerider

Always draft if its a good tactical move. Its a good way to keep up with a slightly better paddler or group of paddlers. Its a good idea to take turns pulling if you can, most people dont like parasites. Some times though you may be drafting someone who is very hard to hang with and be unable to help pull.
Its also a good way to save your energy for later in the race . Adds to the fun of racing too , without drafting, racing would just be time trialing. In rough water drafting is less of an advantge, its a major advantage in flat conditions.

#1 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 11:38am

luke

My first california race, i got yelled at for drafting a two-man. It's a lot harder in Hawai'i to draft because of the ocean conditions, so when i finally had an opportunity to draft in california i took it. Apparently they frown on you in Califrnia for drafting a different type of craft...
Sometimes it's impossible to not draft-- if you're coming up on someone in the flat, you gotta come up right behind or swerve way around--- might as well come straight up and sit on their tail for awhile. I've had races where i traded off with an oc-1 or a surfski a couple of times...and in last years longest and flattest race... i drafted a two man for like half an hour.
So anyways-- on drafting etiquette.. i think it's fine to do what you gotta do. As long as you dont hit the peson in front of you.. you can sit behind them forever.... and then when or if you pass.. they should have the sense to draft you for as long as possible.

#2 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 11:39am

kipkayak

I think of it like bike racing. It's best if you can share the work, but if you can't you should hang on until the group or the individual finds a way to drop you. Most will stop short of sending you for a swim. In marathon flatwater the bumping can sometimes be rough.

If they can't drop you then all is fair--sprint at the end and see what you can do.

Drafting a boat in another class is a bit more questionable. That's something for a race director to chime in about....anybody?

#3 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 12:28pm

Matuka Joe

Cool guys thanks for the comments - a bit like I thought then; similar to when I ran long distance. Share the draft when appropriate but other times draft and then eatem up to win baby win. ;)

Joel

PS: I felt good about sharing the draft last Saturday as we were both OC1 novices and it was one heck of a head wind.

#4 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 12:53pm

AlanC

If you have learned to wash ride and are allowed to do it, it is very beneficial. I've wash ridden back and forth with other boats for up to 2 hours and an organized pack of two or more boats will drop the rest of the field very quickly. It makes the race much faster and more tactical than essentially being out there in your own space. And turns are no longer simply a change of scenery, they are drop or be dropped!

In flatwater canoe & kayak racing it is an accepted tactic and has significant effects on the race outcome. The wash riding boat is usually 5% lower in heart rate than if they were at that speed and leading and their oxygen consumption is approximately 12% lower.

For those who have a high "professor" or "geek" rating here is the abstract of an article published in 1995 on the physiological effects of wash riding in ICF kayaks.

The metabolic cost of two kayaking techniques (Gray, Matherson and McKenzie) The International Journal of Sports Medicine May 1995: Vol. 16 Issue 4. p. 250-254

A common technique employed in flatwater kayak and canoe races is "wash riding", in which a paddler positions his/her boat on the wake of a leading boat and, at a strategic moment, drops off the wake to sprint ahead. It was hypothesized that this manoeuver was energy efficient, analogous to drafting in cycling. To study this hypothesis, minute ventilation (VE), heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (VO2) were measured in 10 elite male kayak paddlers (age = 25 Â± 6.5 yrs, height = 183.6 Â± 4.4 cm, mass = 83.9 Â± 6.1 kg) during steady-state exercise at a standardized velocity in conditions of "wash riding" (WR) and "non-was riding" (NWR). The data were collected in field conditions using a portable telemetric metabolic system (Cosmed K2).

Statistical analysis of the mean values for VE, VO2 and HR was performed using the Hotelling's T2 statistic and revealed significant differences between the WR and NWR trials for all three dependent variables.

Mean values for VE (l/min) were WR = 133 Â± 16.5, NWR = 126.3 Â± 15.7; for VO2 (l/min) were WR = 3.22 Â± 0.32, NWR = 3.63 Â± 0.3; and for HR (bpm) were WR = 167 Â± 9.9, NWR = 174 Â± 8.0.

It was concluded that wash riding during kayak paddling confers substantial metabolic savings at the speeds tested. This has implications for the design of training programs and competitive strategies for flatwater distance kayak racing.

Knowing that wash riding is beneficial to your speed is one thing, getting good at it is another and it takes lots of practice to learn how to wash ride properly. From a tactical point of view you may have to think way ahead to the next turn, surfing section or narrow point on the course to be well positioned. Even when surfing small waves positioning is important as being on the wrong side of another boat can compromise your race in no time.

Alan

#5 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 1:05pm

Matuka Joe

I certainly notice Alan that when I drafted early in the race at the start and behind this other paddler I did Not have to work as hard even if we were catching up to other boats.

#6 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 12:59pm

painteur

I like wind drafting where you are not right behind the boat, but you are off side in the wind shadow of the paddler ahead. Works great when it's too rough for wash or wake drafting and you are headed into the wind.
And yes West Coast frowns on drafting OC2 if you are in an OC1. Everything else is fair game.
Aloha

#7 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 2:27pm

Jim

I guess because drafting is rarely a factor in Hawaii, I thought it was frowned upon everywhere. My first race in Pnworca, some marathon fag drafted me for like 30 minutes, then blew by, of course.I snapped at him, but later realized, as everyone seems to agree, that drafting is part of the game in the flats. Which leads me to believe that maybe we should leave flat water racing to lycra clad, GPS watching gear heads and let the real paddlers duke it out on ka Moana.Love,Jim.

#8 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 7:22pm

e02060

I had a similar experience. I once drafted this flounder for like 30 minutes while I adjusted my GPS and lycra shorts, then blew by him as he faded back with the senior master women and kids on plastic kayaks. I never got to thank him for the free ride or the refreshing smell of his Old Spice cologne.

#9 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 8:15pm

Jim

Next time I'll wear Brut by Faberge, e02060.

#10 Tue, 02/13/2007 - 8:27pm

Matuka Joe

LOL nice Jim - btw did I mention since it was a bloody cold PNWORCA race I was clad head to toe in underarmor? :) No GPS yet but hmm maybe I'll but one just so I can fit the stereotype!

#11 Wed, 02/14/2007 - 11:10am

frosso

You guys are tough on marathon paddlers. Don't knock it till ya try it.

#12 Wed, 02/14/2007 - 1:16pm

Jim

Sorry Marathoners, that was a rhetorical comment. I actually have a tremendous amount of respect for the marathon paddlers I have met/encountered up here. Dave Anderson, the guy in the race I was talking about, has done some amazing things in the Lake Okanagan race, and the lads from Vernon would be dangerous if they had an experienced oc-6 steersman.

#13 Wed, 02/14/2007 - 2:07pm

frosso

It's all good Jim. I'm not very good at either form, outrigger or marathon, but I love both. Can't help myself, paddling canoes is an addiction. I probably fit that stereotype as well, from my lycra shorts to my gps and heartrate monitor. Funny how I don't usually mount the gps and heartrate monitor on my outrigger but I pull it out when I'm paddling a J-boat. Maybe marathoning brings out the "professor" in us. LOL

#14 Wed, 02/14/2007 - 3:24pm

jc9_0

drafting in paddleboarding is illegal in some races. i never saw anyone get busted for it, but i guess it is discouraged. i didn't actually know until soneone else pointed it out in the rules. but of course that's paddleboarding. not paddling, so go figure...

#15 Wed, 02/14/2007 - 7:54pm

OceanOhana

As the host of the Catalina Challenge our rules are specific on drafting, You may draft on like boats. OC-1 on OC-1's, OC-2 on OC-2, Ski's On ski's. And an added point a woman may not draft off of a man, This is a hypocritical rule in that a man may draft on women, It's up to him to deal with his manhood. In order to avoid any backlash I may revisit this rule.
I love drafting and will take advantage anytime possible, There is an element of tactics as well as skill, With California paddling being relatively flat water it helps with the bordom. If you are one that doesn't like someone drafting off you it is not too tough to get someone off your ars. However I stand firm on my belief that drafting off a faster style boat whether it is a ski or a two man is not fair, I hate to see someone drop me because he gets pulled by a faster two man or ski, let skill be the factor.

#16 Sun, 03/04/2007 - 6:28pm

Jibofo

In bike racing drafting is extremely important, but a racer who always drafts and never does his / her share of the work and tries to blow by you at the end is quickly branded a wheelsucker. Wheelsuckers generally find that they get "accidentally" run off the road into the ditch with amazing regularity until they change their evil ways. I'm not sure how you run a paddling wheelsucker off the road but maybe accidentally hacking their ama in half as they pass you might convey the proper message.

#17 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 5:58am

AlanC

Coming from a place where flatwater racing is quite common, I've seen a number of techniques used to loose an unwanted draft or wash riding craft. Some refer to this as "scraping" them off.

By subtle variations in the lead boat's line, often unnoticed by the drafting boat because they're only watching their "free ride", the unwanted / drafting boat can be moved onto a less than ideal line.

None of these will help build a friendship with the wash rider...

slow down more and more until other boats catch up or the drafter pulls around for pull at the front, then drop back slightly (your pretty much resting here), go wide and pass quickly and decisively building a gap

squeezed the drafter against a dock, navigational buoy, rocks, flotsam or other debris, shallows, etc.: once a boat drafting on the side has to drop back onto the following wave train it is very hard to get back up to the side and pass,

approaching turns where the wash riding boat is on the inside, slow down and move over until you can place them on a very tight inside line, then accelerate hard to get clear going into and out of the the turn

approaching turns where the wash riding boat is on the outside, go super wide then accelerate hard in the turn while they are wide and turning

lead them into rough water where drafting is less beneficial and leave!

coming into the finish, aim for just inside the finishing buoy on the side the wash rider is on. This will force them to go around you if they are concerned about finishing in the finish line area and will drain a lot of their energy should they try to pass you and rest their line, or drop back and loose ground to go around your back

#18 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 8:35am

Rambo

It's a bit extreme, but dynamite has worked for me in the past.

Or if your a bit of a wimp, a couple of well directed squirts from a small water pistol premixed with a few red pepper seeds in the tank has the desired effect.

Obviously, i don't approve of drafting in any shape or form in OC paddling.

Cheers Rambo

#19 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 1:02pm

jc9_0

just stop, let them pass, then draft of of them, if they don't like that, then spin them around and make your get away. it also helps to be nude while doing this manuever.

#20 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 11:43am

Kona J

Don't draft at all.

Everyone appears to have some good/technical thoughts on drafting. You take a turn pulling- I take a turn. You pass on left, and then I will then pass on right. I will eek out a few extra seconds maybe minutes by drafting. etc. etc. etc.

BOTTOM LINE-You will eventually bump someone's boat and that doesn't make any of it worth it. Not when they are fragile and average $3,000. Let's hear some of the stories about cracked and chipped tails on OC-1's.-Spin Outs. I luckily haven't dealt with that, but I have seen and heard stories. Also, for the experienced paddlers, I don't need to mention the problems that this type of mind-set( drafting) creates in OC-6 paddling-in terms of injuries and damaged equipment.

Also, I am concerned some Novice reading this and thinking it is a great idea-not being able to control boat and smash into someone.

Also different parts of country have different beliefs about drafting, so better not do it than risk really pissing someone off.

I know some of you will say- look we are talking about flat water and that is a different story, but even the best flat water oc-1 paddler has bumped a boat in front of them "accidently" Back to Bottom Line-You will eventually bump someone's boat and that doesn't make any of it worth it.

Try this-pull even with someone rather than drafting and hammer hard together. You will probably both get further ahead than drafting.

Just thoughts.

#21 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 11:48am

e02060

Somewhere between pacifism and rollerball is a place called common sense. Draft a little, pull a little, do most of it on your own. Drafting's part of racing and I've never seen it make or break the winner. It's usually the midpackers fighting for some illusionary shred of pride (and I get to say that because I am president of the midpackers union.)

#22 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 12:38pm

OCpdlr

OK, OK, here's what I've gathered so far. Always share the draft - even if flat, suck'em up anyway. Everyone's a winner. Packs are good, especially chilled after a good practice. As for da wash, not gonna bother no one unless you get someone else pulling off your can not willing to give you a fresh draft aftah. Just don't get too hammered fo da drive home. hmmmm, sounds like a Primo case so far...

#23 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 1:21pm

goto

This one time, I drafted a guy for like, 9 miles. Then, about 276 yards from the finish line. I pulled around him, and smoked his a$$! Yeah, baby! After the race, he came up to me and kicked me in the boto (rhymes with goto).
So the lesson I learned about drafting is to always wear a cup.

...or, only draft off of guys who have kicking-feet made of soft, squishy marshmallow puffs (yummy!).

#24 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 3:18pm

Jibofo

If the midpackers are "fighting for some illusionary sense of pride", what are us tailenders fighting for?

#25 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 5:00pm

e02060

Lunch and a free T-shirt.

#26 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 6:02pm

mishka

it's a dog eat dog world

Draft and get kicked in the "boto", draft and win, draft and let others draft you, in the end what counts is what you feel about yourself and what others feel about you.

But from experience, when the s**t hits the fan even the most adamant anti-drafters seek help from a guy in front.

#27 Mon, 03/05/2007 - 8:40pm

Jim

Sometimes I like to draft off my own boto.

#28 Tue, 03/06/2007 - 1:34pm

Kona J

I now believe in a higher power and subliminal messages

As soon as Rambo posted, we started talking about "gotos"="goolies"="allas" again.

#29 Tue, 03/06/2007 - 2:07pm

Kona J

Correction-
"botos"=goolies"="allas" again

#30 Tue, 03/06/2007 - 2:09pm

Rambo

Goolies =

Knackers = Jacob's Crackers (slang)
Codhoppers
Family Jewels

The list goes on.

Rambo

#31 Tue, 03/06/2007 - 7:14pm

kimo

I say ride whatever you can. Whether it's a 10 foot bomb in the channel or the wash off someone's boat, I've never seen a bump I didn't like.

#32 Wed, 03/07/2007 - 10:52am

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