Every whitewater kayaker of any skill level can learn a basic ferry, but to get to be a great kayaker you will need to get to advanced ferrying levels.
There are three simple tricks you can use to improve your ferrying greatly so that you can not only ferry better but quicker.
The first and most difficult to master trick is to learn to use the river itself to help you in your ferrys.
For example if there is a small wave ahead that you can use to aid in your ferry.
By setting an angle and surfing onto the face of the wave you can greatly speed up your ferry and use the natural force of the river to push you along.
There are other tricks and river features you can use to help with your ferrys so make sure to be creative when your out there on the river.
The next tip to use is that what is the appropriate angle to ferry on a river really depends on the river.
The faster a river is, the less angle that is needed.
For some slow moving rivers, you may need a near 45 degree angle to make it across the river while for some other rivers you will barely need a 5 or ten degree angle to be pulled across.
It really depends on the river, and if you are setting to hard of an angle, you are going to be pushed downstream by the current no matter how hard you paddle against it.
The final tip is that the most intuitive stroke to use while ferrying, a backstroke on the upstream side that you can use like a rudder is actually the least effective stroke and actually is unproductive.
When you use that stroke it slows your momentum down substantially and causes the current to push you down.
You should use draw strokes instead to maintain your angle since these cause neither a slowdown or enable the current to push you around! Practice your ferrying using these tips and you will find yourself getting better day by day!