In article 3fcfbbf3$1@darkstar,
(Mark James Boyd) wrote:

Sure, sure, I've read very careful use of spoilers and
yawing the sailplane away from the slack are tried and true
methods. However, even using these, there is still some point
there is so much slack you are going to break the
rope no matter what.

I've been towed in strong thermals and some pretty serious wave rotor at
e.g. Omarama. I've never had a problem with a big jerk when the slack
comes out of the rope. I don't use spoilers, and I don't yaw. What I
*do* is when the rope is becoming slack I climb (and therefore slow
down). As the rope starts to become tight I descend (and therefore sped
up). Do it right and there is no jerk at all.

Notes:

- make sure you're not still high when the slack comes out. Pulling the
tail of the towplane up is a *bad* thing. In any event, the height
change required is usually not all that much. But if through
misjudgement you are high when the rope comes tight then you should
release.

- if I'd climbed as far as I was comfortable, and was still overtaking
the towplane then I'd use airbrakes. Hasn't happened yet, except on a
deliberate descent.

- I guess it's possible that this might not work as well in something as
draggy as a 2-33. It's great in glass.