Other than ensuring you don't paddle up the backside of the person in front, what are best techniques/tips please?
Paddle on the same side as the person you are following. When they switch sides, put in one extra stroke and then switch. Different boards/paddlers produce different wake, so the distance you sit off their tail will differ. I also find shifting back an inch or 2 from my usual standing spot helps. 
Select to expand quoteMaxeeboy said...
You will have a few hours of practise tomorrow morning Juddy 
Practice makes perfect.
And you really must follow that v and stay inside it if you want to get the most out of it
There will be a few draft trains in tomorrows race Juddy, the front one will be setting a cracking pace but there will be others behind that one.
Go out hard at the start, after a couple of hundred metres when the dust settles try to find someone to draft that is going at a rate that you can maintain.
If you find yourself in a train of a few paddlers you might have to share the work.
Try to stay very close to the tail of the board in front of you without bumping it, it's a skill that takes bit of practise but as Maxeeboy said you will get that opportunity tomorrow.
Occasionaly on buoy turns etc you may drop off the tail of the board you are following, dig deep, paddle hard and get back into the drafting position, it will be worth it.
Spewing I am going to miss this race.
Some boards do it better than others , i had a starby that really liked drafting from the side about half a length back from the leading board.from behind it was a dog.drafting is a real skill and can save a lot of energy.
If there is an ace in front of you, no wake to draft. Square tails are the go.
great advice tightlines, go hard early & get on a manageable train.
I think what Maxee is saying is to follow his board Juddy.....
Yep aces are not the best to follow but still better than going it alone and if by chance you are the one on an ace they are one of the better boards for drafting on IMO.
I have only paddled one once but it was in a FW20 race and I was super impressed with how easy it was to stay in the sweet spot.
Select to expand quoteMaxeeboy said..
If there is an ace in front of you, no wake to draft. Square tails are the go.
great advice tightlines, go hard early & get on a manageable train.
It's funny, I find Aces good to draft. They seem to have a stern wave about a third of a board length back which makes life much easier. Drafting an ACE in the normal close tail to nose certainly doesn't work as well.
Cheers 222222, I will pay more attention next time.
Hey Juddy, was that a coast runner you were on?
That was mint to draft & conserve valuable energy.
Nope, it was a 2012 Ace Pro.
I learnt plenty about drafting....it's one thing to set the pace, it's another to keep up. From what I experienced, there's more of a benefit to drafting behind a board with a square tail/stern/rear.
My only consolation from Sunday's event is that I now have a time to beat for 2016. Or I need to nobble some seriously better competitors....
I have to agree i got a 2012 ace pro and i love drafting square tailed boards especially Fanatics or even the square tailed Starboards.
