Two moves turn a gentle river from something that carries you into something you steer. Catch an eddy and you can stop anywhere you like. Ferry across the current and you can land on whichever bank you choose. Learn both on easy moving water and every river trip gets calmer, safer and a lot more fun.
Why these two moves matter
On a lake you go where you point the bow. On a river the water has its own plans. Without eddies and ferries you drift with the flow and react to whatever arrives. With them you pause behind a rock to look ahead, cross to the inside of a bend, pull in beside a gravel bar for lunch, and pick your line on purpose.
Our reading a river field note explains what an eddy is and where to find one. This one is about the paddling: how to get in, how to get out, and how to cross the current without losing ground.
Pick the right practice spot
Start on gentle current with a long, clear run-out below you. You want a spot where a missed move simply means floating down to the next calm stretch and paddling back.
- Slow, even current you could wade beside in the shallows.
- A clear eddy behind a rock, a log-free point of bank or the inside of a bend.
- No strainers, snags or weirs downstream of the practice area.
- Warm weather, a friend on the bank and your PFD done up.
Catching an eddy
An eddy turn is a short, committed move from the main current into the slack water behind an obstacle. Most misses come from arriving too low, too slow or too straight.
- Aim high. Set up so you cross the eddy line near the top of the eddy, right behind the rock or point, not halfway down it.
- Come in at an angle. Point the bow into the eddy at a clear angle to the current rather than parallel to it.
- Paddle through the line. Take two or three strong forward strokes as you cross. Speed carries you past the seam where the two currents meet.
- Lean into the turn. Tilt your body into the eddy the way you lean a bike through a corner. Stay loose through the hips.
- Finish with a sweep. A forward sweep on the outside, or a short reverse sweep on the inside, spins you to face upstream and parks you.
A packraft turns quickly, and that helps here. It also means the current can spin you on the eddy line if you hesitate. Commit, paddle through, then relax once you are sitting in the slack water.
Peeling out
Leaving an eddy is the same move in reverse. Look downstream first, then paddle up to the top of the eddy, point the bow out into the current at an angle, and take strong strokes across the line. As the current catches the bow it swings you downstream. Lean into that turn, add a sweep, and you are away.
The ferry glide
A ferry lets you cross a river without being carried far downstream. You set an angle to the current and let the water push you sideways while your strokes hold you in place.
- Face upstream. Point the bow into the current, angled slightly towards the bank you want to reach.
- Paddle forward steadily. Your strokes cancel out the current, so you hold your spot on the river.
- Let the current do the crossing. With the bow angled, the flow pushes the packraft across.
- Adjust the angle as you go. Faster water needs a smaller angle. Slower water lets you open it up.
- Keep looking at the far bank, not the bow.
| Feature | Angle to the current | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Current slow | Wider angle | You cross quickly with little effort |
| Current faster | Narrower angle | You hold ground and cross more slowly |
| Bow swings side-on | Too wide | The current takes you downstream; correct with a sweep |
The back ferry
Packrafts are short and light, which makes the back ferry a friendly move. Face downstream, angle the stern towards the bank you want, and paddle backwards. You slow down, look where you are going and slide across the current at the same time.
It is a great way to set up for a bend. Back ferry towards the inside while you are still upstream of it, and the fast water on the outside passes you by.
Common mistakes
- Stopping paddling on the eddy line. Keep the blade working until you are fully across.
- Leaning upstream as the current hits you. Lean into the turn, never away from it.
- Aiming low in the eddy. The bottom of an eddy is weak and short. Aim for the top.
- Too much angle on a ferry. If the bow keeps swinging downstream, close the angle.
- Gripping hard and sitting stiff. Loose hips and a relaxed upper body keep the packraft flat.
Keep it gentle
Eddies and ferries are skills for gentle moving water. Practise them where the current is slow and the consequences are small, and the moves become second nature. On any river, wear a PFD, leave your trip intentions with someone at home and walk around anything you are unsure about.
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