How to ferry glide in your kayak

Dave ferry gliding across to an eddy

Ferry gliding in your kayak is a really useful skill to use on a flowing river.

It's a great way to control your kayak to give yourself time to plan your route, wait for friends - as I am doing in the photo below - or to move across the river.

It works by facing your kayak upstream and paddling against the current to stop any downstream motion of the kayak.

By changing the angle of your kayak, you can move left or right across the flow like this.

Depending on your paddling strength, it works on mild through to fast flowing water.

The basic set up for a ferry glide is to face upstream and paddle - and then follow these three steps:

Set the Angle. You should angle the kayak left to go left and right to go right. Increasing the angle will adjust how quickly you move in that direction.
Set the Paddling Speed. Your forward paddling speed should be at a pace that means the kayak is not moving up or downstream. On faster flows, you will need to speed up your paddling and dig deeper to ensure you don't wash downstream.
Adjust the Kayak Lean. The upstream edge of your kayak will be against the river flow. This means you will need to lean downstream to avoid being capsized. The amount of lean will depend on the power of the flow and the angle of the kayak. It's best to keep a small amount of lean to eliminate the kayak edge catching and you tipping in.

Ferry gliding does take some practice so try it out and see how you get on. Watch out for these mistakes though!

River flow too fast. Your paddling strength will determine how effective your ferry glide will be. If the flow is too fast, you will be swept downstream - possibly backwards. A strong and efficient forward paddling stroke is needed to stop this.
No lean. Moving into the current with little or no lean on your kayak could result in a capsize. Always apply some lean - even if you think you don't need too!
Too much angle. This results in a break in rather than a ferry glide. The angle turns the kayak downstream. Best to start with a small amount of angle and increase it to meet your needs.
Drifting downstream. Not fully concentrating on your upstream/downstream motion results in a drift downstream. Keep watching both river banks to ensure you stay exactly where you need to be on the river.

And, as with all paddling skills, do practice. Have fun and stay safe.

Here's a video showing you how to do it:

PS. Paddlesports can be dangerous.
Read our safety disclaimer - here

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