Making contact

This quick and easy tow is ideal when speed of deployment and stability are key. From the Spring 2010 issue of Coast&Kayak Magazine. Read the entire magazine online.

by Alex Matthews

A contact tow is a really fantastic and quick way to move another paddler and their kayak a short distance. It’s quick not because it’s the towing strategy that will allow you to paddle at the fastest speed, but quick in that it can be set in motion at an instant’s notice. This is because a contact tow doesn’t rely on a towline or any other specific hardware, or require the time to set that gear up for use.

The concept is really simple (and that’s one of its greatest strengths) – the paddler to be towed latches on to the rescuer’s boat (like a starfish to a rock), and then catches a free ride as the towing paddler powers both kayaks away.

To set a contact tow in motion, simply pull up parallel to the boat to be towed. Next, direct its occupant to establish a solid grip on your kayak by leaning across your deck and firmly grasping your deck lines. You can now paddle this makeshift ‘raft’ of two kayaks forward or backwards as needed.

As the rescuer, you will want to cheat your paddle grip to one side so that you can reach over the other boat more easily to get your stroke in.

The contact tow is effective regardless of boat orientation, so you can use it whether the other paddler is facing toward you or away. This means that more valuable time is saved as there is no need for additional maneuvering other than getting in contact with the other boat.

The beauty of this tow is the sheer speed of deployment. You can start towing the second that you get into position, without fumbling with equipment. And you can also break contact almost instantaneously too.

Obviously, you’re not going to want to tow someone very far like this, but it’s a great way to get a paddling partner out of immediate danger. It’s ideal, for instance, when extracting a kayaker who’s drifted dangerously close to jagged rocks while messing with a camera.

I’ve also used it to great effect when helping less experienced paddlers negotiate short sections of rough water caused by tidal currents or high winds. Because the contact tow introduces so much added stability (due to the kayaks being rafted up together), even a novice kayaker paired with a more seasoned paddler can safely navigate quite choppy conditions in this setup.

The contact tow introduces so much stability that it’s a good starting point whenever another paddler is looking shaky and a capsize might be imminent. Sea sickness or injury can rob any paddler of the tools needed to stay upright. For longer distances, a contact tow can be augmented by adding another “engine” in the form of a third paddler (when available) who can help pull the two rafted kayaks by means of a long towline. This, logically enough, is referred to as a “rafted tow.”

Adapted from “Sea Kayaking Rough Waters” by Alex Matthews available at www.helipress.com.

Short cow tail ensures tight fit

A modification worth considering when time permits is the use of a short “cow tail” towline. Anchored to the rescuer’s PFD and attached to the bow or stern of the kayak under tow, a cow tail makes it much easier to hold the raft formation together while underway. Wrapping the cow tail across your stomach before anchoring it to the other boat will take some of the slack out of the system and keep the raft tighter.

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