🔍 Key Concepts

• Towing geometry – how bridle length affects angle at the towing point • Shock loading (spring effect) – how a longer or shorter tow arrangement behaves in waves and surging • Relationship between tension, angle of pull, and yawing of the tow

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens to the angle between the two legs of the bridle when you make them longer but keep the tug in the same position ahead. • Does a longer bridle make the towline system more elastic (able to absorb shock) or more rigid (transmits more sudden load)? • Consider which part of the system is most stressed when the tow yaws: the main towing hawser, the bridle legs, or does yawing change when the bridle is longer?

✅ Before You Answer

• Visualize the angle at the bridle junction: does it become wider or narrower as the legs get longer? • Decide whether a longer bridle spreads the load over a longer length (more give) or concentrates it (less give). • Ask yourself: does a longer bridle usually increase or decrease control of yaw on the vessel being towed?