River sailing - tips and techniques

I've finally done it. Packed in coastal catamaran sailing and gone back to monohulls and unlike (gulp) 15-20 years ago, I'll be on a river and not an open lake.

The main reason for doing this is a young family, so time is very limited and I have Henley Sailing Club just up the road that is proving very family friendly and a just a short cycle away.

I think its going to be a totally different sport, not just new boats to get used to, but the stream, trees, shifty winds etc etc.

Just thought I'd start a thread to discuss tips and techniques for this type of sailing.......

Can anyone share their experiences?

Note - I am avoiding the inevitable 'what boat thread' in preference for going down there, seeing what others sail, trying a few out and getting something that best fits the stretch of water.

i have been a member of a small river club all my life.  It is very much a different aspect to sailing, i have seen many a top sailor turn up and get handed their arse of a ditch.  Mags is right, learning to roll tack ( i mean really roll tack) well is key.  Yuo find with river sailing you get in to a rhythm on the beats, as with any sailing area local knowledge is key.  But more so on a river.  Where knowing where the shallows are, places where flow is stronger and how obstacles such as trees etc. effect the wind.

Yes, it seems to be legal on Rivers but else where i would suspect a River 'Roll Tack' to be completely illegal.   ha ha

"Water for the cow please" is somthing to get used to!

Roll tacks - these need to be for a reason. A great roll tack to keep the speed up when you finally have to tack as you pinch your way up the bank (and another a boat length later to stay out of the current) is fine, as is tacking as the shift hits. Rolling your way up the river will make no friends.

You have to develop a ninja sense of when a windshift hits - first twitch of the telltale, feel of wind on back of neck - no idea what the prompts are really, but I grew up sailing on a river and used to be very, very good at that. My favorite weapon of choice has always been the Firefly, and I've never been convinced that any boat is better at river sailing. Love the British Moth as a singlehander on the river, too.

You are right, it really is a different sport. But it is a fun, friendly one which really gets your boat handling good. Learn to pinch like hell up the favoured bank, learn to sit way, way forwards in the boat, and remember, when it has all gone horribly wrong, river clubs often have an excellent bar.

And just mind the traffic on the river...especially the hen and stag groups who have hired a cruiser for the day, and who may not be fully in control!

But it has a beautiful situation and is really friendly and it will be an ideal place to get your smaller ones on the water as early as poss.

PS I'm sure you are doing the right thing and borrowing something first to get used to the conditions but later on if you wanted to try an X1 or X0 (that are designed for amongst other things river conditions) I'd be very happy to bring the one along that we are sailing tomorrow at Hammersmith (... although maybe you are looking for a single hander in the long run?).
PPS Just to be clear that the X0/X1 is my commercial interest.