They did not have an anchor??? It is possible to use something not designated as a “Tow” rope to tow a vessel. I cannot believe there was not a rope onboard that could not have been used as a “Tow” line.
Yes using an anchor line would have been a thought, except the line may have been to weak or too short to work or then - well maybe they are not well trained in boat handling - there are - in my experience - navy guys that are worse than greenhorn sportsmen on the water.
Then perhaps they were under the command of the female (LBGT Factor) and she surrendered ... who knows?
What seems odd is that some stories hint that both boats broke down ... which doesn’t seem likely.