  We consider a bi-layer electronic system at a total Landau level filling
factor nu =1, and focus on the transition from the regime of weak inter-layer
coupling to that of the strongly coupled (1,1,1) phase (or ''quantum Hall
ferromagnet''). Making the assumption that in the transition region the system
is made of puddles of the (1,1,1) phase embedded in a bulk of the weakly
coupled state, we show that the transition is accompanied by a strong increase
in longitudinal Coulomb drag, that reaches a maximum of approximately
$h/2e^{2}$. In that regime the longitudinal drag is increased with decreasing
temperature.
