Current strength

[davidpm]

You are sailing down a river with a sharp bend. Is the current strongest on the outside of the bend or the inside?

[ggray]

outside

[sawingknots]

outside unless the inside is in the current from the last bend in which case it would be inside then quickly outside as you turn the bend,watch the banks if its steep its the current side

[Yamsailor]

Depends on the bathymetry. The current will be the most quick in the narrowest part of the bend that is underwater.

[boatpoker]

Check out Reading The Water

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Check out Reading The Water

What a great resource.

[davidpm]

The reason I asked is that the source I read said that the inside was faster even though it was not intuitive.
Something about conservation of angular momentum.

[smurphny]

Find the highest standing waves and you'll find the fastest, deepest water.

[jrd22]

Don't know much about rivers but every current that goes around a bend that I've encountered is fastest on the outside portion of the curve (and the counter current will be strongest just downstream from the bend and on the inside).

[sawingknots]

when i brought my boat up the tombigbee during a spring flood i had to hug the inside of the bends until i just started around the curve then i had to switch over quickly to the other side of the river,all to just manage 1 knot,in the main current i was at a standstill,tidal creeks are somewhat similar,but a little more complicated due to the change in direction of the current,the deepest water will always be in the main current and the highest banks will always be the current side