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CROSSING WAKES AND SWELLS
You will not always have flat, smooth
water. There will be swells, wakes from
other boats, etc.
The best way to cross wakes and
swells is with the least jolt to you and
the boat. Small swells are not as diffi-
cult to cross as larger swells or wakes.
Crossing a sharp wake gives more of a
jolt than a broad swell.
To cross a wake or swell, change your
speed and choose the angle at which
you cross the wake or swell. Usually, a
slower speed and “quartering” the
wake (crossing at an angle) will reduce
the jolt.
Two other things you may notice. The
first is that crossing a group of wakes or
swells is not as easy or smooth as
crossing just one wake. The second is
that when you quarter the wake or
swell the boat will try to steer away
from the wake or swell. When crossing
at a 45° angle, you may not notice this,
but at a smaller angle, say10°, it can be
very strong. Be prepared to steer and
balance as necessary.
3 OPERATION
WAKE
90°
45°
10°
SHARP WAKES
BROAD SWELL
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