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Multisport
Eddy
Eddy line
Downstream ‘V’
Fastest line
Eddy line
Upstream ‘V’
Upstream Current
i.e. Eddy
Eddy line
Fastest line
River Flow
Fast lines for River Racing
by Peter Townend
To paddle a river fast you need to recognise where the river
current will help, not hinder, you.
It is natural to think of the river as a mass of water which reaches the
sea, but on the way it is a three dimensional, massively complex group
of currents heading in different directions. It only takes a quick look
in some eddies and you will see the same flotsam going around and
around for an age. Or look at a weir type obstacle. Flotsam will stay in
the wave area, sometimes forever.
Understanding what causes eddies is probably the first step to fast river
kayaking.
How do eddies form?
An eddy forms when flow is impeded by an obstacle such as a rock
or bank. Downstream the water level is lower than the water hitting
the upstream side. Some water flows around the obstacle and tries
to fill the downstream ‘hole’. Hence an upstream current forms below
obstacles.
How do you see eddies on the river?
The area where upstream and downstream currents meet is the ‘Eddy
line’. When the bow of your kayak enters the upstream you will slow
down and often spin 180 degrees. When looking down the river the
‘Upstream V’ is the shape that ‘Eddy lines’ make either side of an
obstacle. The ‘Downstream V’ is the shape ‘Eddy lines’ make between
two obstacles in a rapid.
What is the best line to take?
A beginner is told to aim for the ‘Downstream V’ to avoid obstacles and
the Upstream V. This is good advice. However it often means that you
will paddle in rougher water at the bottom of the rapid. Large waves
almost always lurk at the bottom of a big ‘Downstream V’.
A trick is two bits of advice. 1/ Start the rapid in the Downstream V on
the side from which you’ll exit the rapid. This sets you up for step 2/
paddle down the side of the waves at the bottom of the ‘Downstream V’
along the Eddy line. This allows for a faster more stable paddle.
Look at any moving water (picture is of a small stream) and you will
see these features. Spend the time understanding them and you will be
faster, happier, drier and enjoy your kayak racing a heap more.
18 ISSUE FIFTY Three • 2 0 0 9
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