It's also a technique used in kayaks and canoes to ferry across rivers and other streams. Paddle against the current and angle your vessel towards the side you want to go to. It is great fun. :),(reply>), The direction of the bow relative to the current is called the "ferry angle", or at least that's what my whitewater guides called it.,(reply>), @Simon Judge Ah, someone else who does this with a powered boat. Have done this in Australia on the Murray to avoid approaching boats.,(reply>), @Martin Feuchtwanger I was going to say something similar. When I was taught kayaking, back in the 1970s, I was taught about the "ferry glide" with an over complicated explanation about water pressure on the upstream side of the hull.  I always thought of it as a simple vector problem.  It is not the same as an actually ferry because there is no fixed wire to resist the water flow.  Calling it a ferry glide is like calling a glider a kite.,(reply>), @Someone new Do some vector analysis: for any given downstream velocity, counter it with a paddling speed and direction vector. If paddlers have reasonable speed and skill, they can get across directly opposite, or maybe gain or lose a little ground.,(reply>), @Someone new  you might end up further downstream if you can't (or don't want to) paddle against the current strongly enough to prevent it. But if you hold the correct angle,  the current can push more sideways than downstream in some cases.  You can look for videos of how to ferry in whitewater