Hi, I am the comp sec of HEMBC in Lincoln. We have been tug towing for a few years now. All our objects /course have to be put out and retrieved on the day. Our basic rules are; all objects are 'live' ( as in if you touch them you are penalised), both the tug and tow are 'live' ( any part of either touches anything, you are penalised), every tug must be over 21" long, every competitor must use the fixed towing harness (supplied affixed to the tow), the amount of length of harness used is at the competitors discretion. All objects to be navigated through are no closer than 1 metre. The tug and tow must start and finish at a dead stop aligned to a marked harbour wall. 2 points are awarded for each touch, 3 points if it is a scrape ( a touch that scrapes longer than circa 10 cm),10 points for a missed course ( where the competitor completes a section to their satisfaction but the judge sees that they have not followed the course correctly). We find that a simple but close course provides the most challenge and entertainment! These are the rules for single and two man towing. If you have a larger tow for two man towing, then a section where the whole unit must be reversed, and a section where the whole unit is turned 180°, and a section where the whole unit must be centrally docked, is a must. Overall, there is no mystery, just have a go and learn. A help for me in designing the courses is that I have made a scale tug and tow, and a two man tugs and tow that I guide around 1cm gridded paper, this gives me a rough guide as I draw out my planned course on this paper, if it will work in reality.
Sorry for the long reply, I trust I have helped and not insulted you as to what and where you are up to
Kind regards
Pirate
PS just have a go
Enjoy and learn