How to Dock a Boat in Wind, Step by Step

Step by step

1. Read the wind against your slip. Is it pushing you onto the dock, off the dock, from ahead, from behind or on a diagonal? Each one calls for a different approach (see below).
2. Check for current. Current works like wind you can't see: it moves the boat sideways or downstream even when the engine is in neutral. Always check which way it's setting before your approach (look at pilings and moored boats for the tell), and aim slightly upstream of your target so the current carries you in, not past.
3. Brief your passengers on the lines before the approach, and keep an escape route open.
4. Set up further out than feels necessary and keep the bow slightly into the wind.
5. Approach with just enough throttle to keep steerage, and commit to the line early. Hesitating mid-approach is when moderate wind turns into a problem.
6. Keep a hand near the throttle right up until the lines are secured. Plan as if the next gust will arrive at the worst moment.
7. Arriving: secure the WORKING lines first (the ones resisting the wind), especially spring lines. Add the remaining lines once the boat is held in place.
8. If it's not working, go around and re-set. Expect to make more than one pass in strong wind.

Wind pushing you onto the dock

A crosswind pushing you onto the dock is the classic pier-pinning scenario. Crosswinds are one of the top reasons boats scrape finger piers. The boat keeps moving sideways even after you cut the throttle, so plan for that drift before you're already committed. Approach at a wider angle, stop further out, and let the wind set you down gently rather than driving in.

Wind pushing you off the dock

A crosswind blowing you off the dock is actually the safer crosswind: you can approach at a shallow angle, let the wind park you, and finish with a spring line. The trap: coming in too parallel, because then the wind carries you away before you can get a line across.

Headwind and tailwind

A headwind on approach is usually your friend: it slows the boat and lets you creep in with the throttle. The catch is losing steerage: below a certain speed the rudder stops biting and the wind takes over. Keep just enough throttle to feel the wheel working.

A tailwind pushes you toward the dock whether you want it or not. Come in slower than feels natural and use reverse earlier than you would in calm air. By the time you feel the boat is going too fast, it usually already is.

Diagonal wind

A diagonal wind combines drift with a turning force on the bow. The boat won't track straight even with the wheel centered, so pick your reference point on the dock early and correct continuously. Small, constant corrections work better than large late ones.

Backing in with a crosswind

Backing into a slip in a crosswind is the highest-difficulty routine maneuver in boating. The stern goes where you want, the bow blows off, and you have limited visibility. Come in with more speed than feels comfortable to maintain steerage, and use short bursts of forward throttle to reset the bow angle rather than trying to steer through it in reverse.

Leaving the dock in wind

Release the NON-working lines first. Hold the working lines until the last moment; once they go, the wind will move the boat immediately.