What sort of donkey would try towing a boat with a helicopter?? I've seen pictures of helicopters being used to tow water skiers, but why try to tow a boat.
Not seen the clip either, but will be glued to the telly tonight. (VFR...pb - we get Channel 4 in Scotland too!!!!).
Could the JR be deliberately flown out of balance so that the pilot could see the boat? If so, there will be sideways cyclic and a fair amount of pedal to counteract the resistance of the boat. If the rope snapped, it would take lightning reactions to get all the forces back into equilibrium with the rotor disk directly over the skids. Only a thought....