Drafting

Book Extract

What Is Drafting?
When the board glides through the water it creates a ‘wake’. This wake varies depending on the shape of the board and, in particular, the tail. It is quite often seen as a set of triangular- shaped waves that radiate from the front of the board all the way to the tail edge. This wake is called the ‘draft’ of the board. 

The side and tail of the board create waves that can be used for drafting

 

A paddler following can use this wake to great advantage. Locate your board approximately  0.3 to 0.5m away from the board in front and the draft will reduce the amount of effort required to maintain the same speed as the paddler in front. There is some experimentation to find the sweet spot, but once you find it, it is very noticeable.

A second location to draft is at the side of the board in front, as the wave here can be used to draft in its own right, or as a way of drifting into the draft at the tail. Maintaining your board in this sweet spot at the side requires more skill, but it’s good fun.

Draft trains can range from two boards to twenty or more!

Drafting at the side requires more skill but is great fun

Why Draft?
If you intend to race, drafting is an essential skill. If you are a social paddler or tourer, you might wonder why you would ever bother. But it is still a skill that social paddlers would benefit from. 

Why?

• It is enjoyable. You feel like you are part of a larger unit – a single mass of paddlers. Each person has a role in keeping the integrity of the whole – whether leading or following. 
• It develops your paddling skills. It’s a different challenge to paddling on your own. You mirror the person in front, observe their strokes, and predict where they are going while always being aware of the water around you. 
• It is a strangely hypnotic experience. After a while, you might find yourself becoming resonant with everyone else. Your stroke matches others, and you fall into an altered state of consciousness. You feel like you could paddle forever.
• It can collectively increase paddling range substantially. Drafting saves each paddler energy. This is estimated to be about 30 percent. If a group gets caught out and has to face a stiff headwind on a return, the ability to draft will help get everyone safely home. 
• It fosters cooperation. In the act of drafting, the lead paddler will alter after an agreed period, so everyone shares the load. Each paddler takes the responsibility of being both leader and follower.

Drafting is very similar to the way the peleton works in a bicycle race.

The Technique 
You need to keep your board’s nose approximately 0.5m from the back of the board in front. This distance depends on the wake you observe from the board in front. You are trying to ‘mount’ the little wave that comes off the back. You are also aiming to keep in the flat undisturbed water that the board leaves as it moves forwards. It’s tempting to drop your head as you focus on the back of the board ahead, but resist this as it will compromise your stroke.

Try to copy the paddling side of the paddler ahead. When they change sides, you change. Maintain a similar rhythm. This will help you to match the behaviour of the board in front. Also, observe the water around you. If you don’t, it’s easy to get caught out by waves, fishing lines or speedboats. Look further ahead to the lead paddler. Watch how they are paddling and use them to predict direction and pace.

When you are leading, pick a spot ahead and try to keep a straight line to it. This will make it easier for the paddlers behind. Try to look back now and again to make sure your colleagues are still with you.

Drafting is easier on flat water in calm conditions and gets progressively more difficult as conditions deteriorate. Drafting downwind is not worthwhile as catching waves might easily take you into the back of someone else.

Drafting Strategies
We will look at drafting strategies in the race section (P113). If you want to maintain a draft in a non-race situation, then work together as a team. Allow the strongest paddler to take on the most work but support each other by taking turns at the head.