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If someone goes past you faster , catch their draft . When you feel you are ready , look ahead to see if there is someone in front that you could catch to make more progress through the field . Conversely , if you are feeling stretched , then hang on in there . It will be much harder paddling on your own if you lose their draft .
Don ’ t feel guilty about being in someone ’ s draft . You are making them faster at the same time . They have the choice to allow you to draft . They could go faster to lose you or slower to invite you or force you to overtake .
Don ’ t feel intimidated if it ’ s you who is being drafted . Just paddle the way you want to . Don ’ t get forced into paddling faster than you want to . The person behind can overtake whenever they want .
If you find yourself in a draft train and the race is nearing the end , you need to decide when and if you are going to make your move to try and improve your position . In SUP , overtaking is not instant . It can take minutes to get past someone . It can also be exhausting and possibly counter-productive ( it could cost you places ). If you are leading the draft , slow it down about 1k from the end to conserve some energy for the sprint finish . If anyone tries to get past , make it difficult by upping the pace . Keep your lead at all costs .
Drafting in non-competitive paddling
You might wonder why you would ever bother drafting if you are not racing . But it is a skill that any paddler can benefit from .
Why ?
It is enjoyable . You feel part of a larger unit in the draft – a single mass of paddlers . Each person has a role in maintaining 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 become ‘ resonant ’ with everyone else . Your stroke matches others , and you fall into an altered state of consciousness . You feel hugely energised and feel like you could paddle forever .
It will collectively increase the paddling range substantially . Drafting saves each paddler energy . This has been estimated to be about 30 per cent . If a group gets caught out by a change in weather conditions and faces a stiff headwind on a return , the ability to draft will help get everyone safely home . This happened to me once when an exciting downwinder suddenly became particularly challenging because of a change in wind direction . The strongest paddler in the group led the rest of us into a safe haven through drafting . Without the draft , I might not have made it back .
Cooperation
It fosters cooperation . In the act of drafting , the lead paddler changes after an agreedupon period , so everyone shares the load . Each paddler takes the responsibility of being both leader and follower .
It allows you to experiment with your stroke and judge the results immediately . For