The Docking Clinic
Marina Berthing & Mediterranean Docking — a half-day intensive for qualified skippers
$450 per person
Reserve Your Place →Most skippers finish their course having berthed a boat once or twice. Maybe three times if conditions allowed. Then they get their certificate, book a charter, and the nerves arrive right on schedule.
Berthing in a tight marina. Backing into a Med quay stern-first with the anchor down and people watching. These are the moments new skippers dread most — and the ones they get the least practice at.
It's not a reflection on the courses. It's simply a reality of teaching ten skills in five days. Something has to get less time than it deserves, and it's almost always this.
The Docking Clinic exists to fix that. With just three skippers on board, you'll get far more time at the helm than any standard course allows — and walk away having done more docking in a single morning than most skippers do in their first year of ownership.
Marina Berthing
Helm Time
Close Quarters
Docklands to Williamstown
What You Will Learn
Two essential skills in one session — marina berthing in the morning, Mediterranean docking in the afternoon.
Marina Berthing
- Controlling a yacht in tight spaces under power
- Reversing with confidence — understanding and using prop walk
- Approach angles, speed control, and when to commit
- Spring line techniques for manoeuvring in confined berths
- Reading wind and current before you enter
- Recovering cleanly when the approach isn't going to plan
- Practical tips that don't appear in any textbook
Mediterranean Docking
- How stern-to-anchor docking works in practice
- Anchor placement and chain management on approach
- Crew briefing and communication — who does what, and when
- Dealing with wind set and crosswind during the reverse
- Recovering from a bad approach without drama
- The small things that separate a clean med moor from a chaotic one
What Makes It Different
There are docking courses available in Australia and overseas. Here's how this one is different.
Three skippers maximum
This is the heart of it. Most docking courses run with five, six, or eight participants — which means watching more than doing. We cap at three, so you spend the day at the helm, not waiting for your turn.
No revisiting the basics
You already know how to sail. Other courses start with fenders and cleating. We start with you reversing a 40-foot yacht. Every hour is spent on the skills you actually need more of, not material you covered in your skipper course.
Two techniques in one session
Marina berthing and Mediterranean docking are different enough that most courses treat them separately — if they cover them at all. We cover both in a single day, connected by a scenic river cruise down to Williamstown.
Available in winter
We run The Docking Clinic through the quieter months, when marinas are less crowded and there's more space to practise properly. Fewer boats, more room, better conditions for focused learning.
Who This Course Is For
The Docking Clinic is designed specifically for qualified skippers — people who have completed a keelboat or coastal skipper course and hold a relevant certificate. We assume you can sail the boat, handle lines, and understand the basics of manoeuvring under power.
What we're going to spend time on is the part that isn't covered well anywhere else. If you're planning a charter in the next 12 months, buying your own boat, or simply want to feel genuinely confident the next time you bring a yacht into a marina — this course is for you.
What to Bring
Lunch is provided on the river leg. Bring your own drinks and dress for a day on the water.
- Sailing jacket or warm waterproof layer
- Non-slip deck shoes or sailing boots
- Sun protection — hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
- Your own drinks (water, coffee, whatever you like)
- Warm mid-layer — it can be cool on the river in the morning
- A willingness to have a go
Reserve Your Place
Limited to three skippers per session · $450 per person · 10 am – 3 pm
Questions first? Get in touch — we're happy to help.