45 Degrees Sailingvideo
Close to Disaster! Stern-to in Crosswind
24 November 2025 · 5 min · 5K views
What this video covers
Docking stern-to in a 20-knot crosswind, Nick coaches a crew through a Mediterranean-style mooring using a combination of engine power, prop walk management, and a bow thruster. The manoeuvre involves a helmsman named Robert and a crew member named Blair handling lines, with Mahina managing the lazy line from the dock. Nick calls out each phase in real time: arcing the stern toward the berth, using the bow thruster to counteract prop walk, finding a deliberate stalling moment before committing to the final reverse, then managing momentum to avoid overshooting.0:48 The boat is described as heavy, and Nick notes that 110 horsepower was needed to overcome the crosswind push.1:44 After securing, he reflects that 20 knots is at the edge of manageable and references a previous attempt in 32 knots at Stalingrad where the mooring ring bent out of round.5:43 The practical lesson: in a crosswind stern-to approach, controlling momentum through neutral pauses and coordinated bow thruster use matters more than raw power, and heavy boats demand extra caution above 20 knots.
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