Home Tow & Be Towed
Purpose-Value:
- Practice and develop the boat handling skills of towing a disabled boat or a sailboat, and being towed by another boat.
Setting Up the Drill:
- Equipment: 1 towline and 1 towing bridle for each boat
Conducting the Drill:
- Each boat prepares a towing bridle.
- Operator approaches boat to be towed, briefs it on procedures, intentions, and hand signals to be used, and picks up the other boat’s towline.
- Each person onboard the towboat takes a turn at the helm.
- Break the tow and the other boat becomes the towboat. Each person onboard the new towboat takes a turn at the helm.
Teaching Tips:
- For beginning operators and crew, the instructor may have to help with the bridle.
- Make people aware that the purpose of a bridle is to reduce loads on attachments points on the towboat and allow the towboat to hold a course with minimal steering adjustments.
- Make people aware that towing cleats or eyes need to be reinforced to withstand the towing loads.
- A longer bridle educes the load on the towboat’s attachment points. Suggested length of each leg of the bridle is 2 to 3 times the towboat’s width.
- Towboat’s parallel approach is typically used in light wind and sea conditions, and when the boat to be towed has some forward speed.
- Towboat’s crossing the “T” approach is typically used in strong wind and sea conditions, or if the boat to be rescued is drifting with no forward motion.
- There needs to be a means of communication between the boats by hand signals or VHF radio.
- Adjust the length of the towline so both boats are on a similar position on the waves.
- When towing, start slowly and keep a steady strain on the towline without snapping or jerking it.
- Reduce speed gradually to prevent the towed boat from overrunning the towboat.
- Make wide turns while towing.
- Teach the concept of “leaning on a tow” where gentle pressure is applied on the towed boat and then wait a few moments to start responding rather than applying large amounts of power with resulting damage and loss of control of the tow
Common Errors:
- Approaching the boat to be towed at too fast a speed.
- Applying too much power when starting the tow which jerks the towline and the towed boat.
- Reducing power too quickly which causes the towed boat to overrun the towboat.
References:
- Safe Powerboating Handling On-Water Skill Standards 6.4, 6.5 and their rubrics
- Start Powerboating Right! textbook pg. 142
- Safety & Rescue Boat Handling On-Water Skill Standard 3.2 and its rubrics
- Safety, Rescue & Support Boat Handling textbook pp. 38, 41, 42, 51 (crossing the “T”)