Towing dinghies

Originally posted by Riv Sounds good, the plan is to go down to Dartmouth from Stoke Gabriel on the ebb, come back on the flood towing those who don't want to sail back.  What sort of spacing on a long rope for each dinghy? 2 or 3 times boat length.  I'm pleased to know I should put the Wayfarer at the back!

i was told to put the heaviest boat at the back of the string to stabilise things

When I was being towed in a group, I used the following technique:-

Painter tied to the main tow line, taken through a rope loop on the stemhead, then a couple of turns round the mast, and hand held.
That way the tow can be slipped easily - possibly at the cost of a painter.

Snap hooks/carabinas on short rope tethers simplify things, but as Sam notes, you can't disengage them underway.
Maybe a rope loop with a snap hook to go round the mast - easily accessible, but it will cause the towline to sink.

It is very common for boats to sail up to a slow moving trailing towline and tie their own painters to it. It might not have the get out of jail free advantages of a line running through something at the bow and round the mast, but it seems to work and keeps things very simple and understandable for the sailors.

Originally posted by Riv Lastly when towing dinghies such as Picos is it best to run the painter through a fairlead on the bow and then to the mast or straight to the mast? Would you do the same with a Wayfarer?

Bear in mind if any have decked stepped masts ie Enterprise it is better to take the loading turns around some other structure such as the thwart or the king post otherwise there is a risk of dismasting, especially whilst sails are dropped and there is no rig tension on to keep the mast Insitu.

As others have said use a long towline, whatever you do, don't daisy chain boats using painter to the one in front this transmits the whole load behind through the boats in front.

Some bow fairleads can be a little 'fragile' only really being designed for tying up to jetty; advise use to lead rope but again make loading turn around mast/other.