Welcome
Subscribe today for some amazing stories and content from our expedition team or find an outfitter for your next adventure.
Subscribe today for some amazing stories and content from our expedition team or find an outfitter for your next adventure.
A large eddy with some current next to it
A Raft
Choosing Landmarks
Understanding how different angles affect your boating
Establishing greater boat control
In this lesson, Trevor is discussing how to set yourself up for success with proper ferry angles. Getting ferry angles right can seem challenging at first, but were going to break it down by talking about the types of ferry angles, choosing landmarks, and how paddlers can manage rotation. Our goal is to give you a good framework that we can build upon in more advanced lessons. So, what is the first thing you need to understand ferry angles?
When we talk about ferry angles we are talking about the orientation of your bow to the current vector. Using this framework, we want to understand the river from a top-down view of your bow orientation. the difference in the bow orientation compared to the current vector in degrees of angle is the ferry angle of the boat. The first ferry angle we want to talk about is the 0-degree downstream ferry angle. This is what you will be using when you are trying to make downriver progress through currents. Especially on straight aways in the river this will generally be your go to ferry angle. It is also important to understand that when we are talking about current vector, we are not talking about swirly eddies generally. we are talking about current that is flowing downstream with the contours of the river channel.
The next ferry angle you want to understand is the 45-degree downstream ferry angle. Your boat will be oriented 45 degrees downstream in relation to the current vector. Remember though this orientation is in relation to the current vector not the direction of the river. This ferry angle is one of the most commonly used ferry angles in boating since it allows you to make lateral movement within the river channel while simultaneously decreasing the likelihood of a wrap or a flip. The reason for this is that the broadside of your boat is not as highly exposed as it would be if your boat was turned 90 degrees downstream. This in essence reduces your profile and the potential amount of surface area available to strike a rock or a tree.
The 90 degree or perpendicular ferry angle will set your boat up perpendicular to the current vector you are in. This ferry angle will get you going more quickly laterally across the river, however it does expose more of your raft to downriver obstacles.by pushing across the current quickly though you can also avoid getting near the obstacle in the first place if you set up early enough.
The 45 upstream ferry angle is a bit tougher of a ferry angle to master since it involves taking a more aggressive move across the river. This ferry angle can be used to exit eddies effectively and we will use this a lot in our eddy catching video later on. You can use this ferry angle to surf out onto the current before turning downstream and continuing on. Beyond eddy catching you can also use this for rescue applications by getting ready for the swimmer and paddling out to them while still hovering in place for a moment to allow you time to pull the swimmer in without getting swept downstream before you have had a chance for your crew to regain control.
To effectively ferry a raft, you will need to have a guide that will tell you generally where you want to go. That guide is the landmarks on the side of the river. Generally, you want to choose an immovable object outside of the river that can help guide you. This is especially effective if you are running a steep drop or are unable to see the feature from the top. You want to select an object far enough downstream that as you proceed down river it will not throw your angle off. This can be a tree or a particularly large boulder to key off of. Once you have selected this land mark it is also good to select another land mark that marks the crux of the rapid to you know where you are and how successful your ferry angle is. You may need to adjust your ferry angle to compensate, but having 2 landmarks allows you to triangulate your position in the rapid with you being the tip of the triangle.
A major concern for selecting ferry angles is how the proposed ferry angle will affect your boat and crew. Is an aggressive 90-degree angle likely to expose your crew to danger? If so, how much danger and how likely are you to have carnage? Another concern is are you actually moving in the right direction? You may select a ferry angle right to avoid a large rock, however a left ferry angle may give you a wider margin of error. This is a skill that we will cover in depth in our scouting video, but for the purposes of this video you want to make sure your ferry angle is setting you up for success.
A major safety concern is how aggressive your ferry is since sometimes you may have to pass over multiple currents on your way to your destination. Generally, when you ferry out on a current the hydraulic pressure moving downstream will want to grab the upstream edge of your raft and exert a lot of force on it. When this happens, the upstream edge will roll under the downstream tube since there is no pressure on the downstream tube holding it in place. This can cause your paddlers on the upstream side to be violently ejected upstream and under the boat. To mitigate this, reduce the angle in relation to the current vector and you will have less exposure for your crew when the current grabs the raft.
The final consideration for ferry angles is what different members of the crew contribute to the ferry. Typically, the people on the downstream side for the raft are attempting to counteract the force of the river by paddling upstream against the current. When you have anything more than a 0-degree angle and you are attempting a lateral or upstream ferry, the upstream side of the boat will be aiding the current in spinning the nose downstream. The upstream side of the boat does however aid the raft in crossing the river and helps to provide the bulk of the lateral power.
Whomever is in control of the boat will need to manage these opposing forces and if one side is stronger than the other you will likely end up spinning. The big takeaway from that is make sure the upstream side is not overpowering the downstream side when you are doing an upstream ferry. This takes time and practice and depends heavily on the currents, boat type, crew configuration, and power input. Ultimately, the more you can practice with a standard setup and loadout in your boat the more you will master how your boat moves across the water.
