"Stern to" or "Mediterranean" mooring can be a little daunting if you've never done it before. Although you do see examples of it in UK waters, it's not common and I don't think that it is taught on most RYA courses up to Day Skipper level. I read an article on the WEB which made me even more nervous about my impending Greek Island holiday. But relax, it's really not that hard and it has some advantages. Like any manoeuvre though, you can't expect to get it right without preparation and practice.

Practice until you can do it backwards.
I have found that one of the biggest problems people have with stern to mooring is that they have to steer the boat in reverse. Their heads may have been filled with warnings about how a boat handles when going astern; "Steering is ineffectual at low speed", "Prop-walk is more pronounced", "Steering is the other way around". My only advice is that you should find some large area of open water and try your boat in reverse where you can't do any harm if it all goes wrong. When you are more confident, try steering alongside a vacant mooring buoy and bringing the boat to a stop before you pass it. Keep a wide birth of the buoy and do not try to steer right up to it or you may end up with a fouled prop.

Look where you are going
Steering can feel strange in reverse but the best thing you can do is face the way you are heading so, if you've got a wheel stand on its bow side looking towards the stern of the boat then the steering is effectively the same as going forwards.
If you're on a tiller do the same thing, stand in front of the tiller looking to the stern of the boat then just line up the tiller with the direction you want to go. If you've practised this beforehand you should find it quite easy to line up with your mooring site. Stern to mooring gives the helm an excellent view.

Gently does it and never mind the onlookers.
As with so many other manoeuvres stern to mooring is better performed unhurried. Be patient. Don't go any faster than you need to keep steerage. Cut power early and coast in rather than gunning the engine forward to kill your speed. Disappoint anyone in the quayside bars who may be hoping to witness some drama. Stern to mooring is often a very public affair with bars and cafes on the quayside and passers by stopping to watch. Put them out of your mind and, if anyone should shout instructions to you it's usually best to ignore them unless they look like they might be the harbour master. Accept help with shore lines gratefully or decline it politely. It's usually best to accept shore help, if only to be friendly, asking them to loop the line around a cleat and pass it back so that you can secure it and make adjustments from the boat.

Preparation
Well before you begin the manoeuvre you should be familiar with the pilot notes for this port and you should have a good idea of where you are going to moor up but don't feel you must do it in one run. It is vital that you tell your crew what you are planning to do and what you expect from each of them. Prepare the boat by putting out port and starboard fenders, tie a fender to the transom if you can (then, if you overshoot it will be less painful), get port & starboard stern lines attached & ready to deploy, Check the total length of bow anchor chain and warp and make sure the end is secured to the boat, get the bow anchor ready to deploy. You should have worked out how much anchor chain & warp you are going to let out. A trailing dinghy can be a problem during this manoeuvre. Obviously you can't leave it tied to the stern. I think it is best to secure it off the port or starboard bow on a short painter in such a way that it will not obstruct the anchor nor increase the beam when the boat is going astern. However experienced your crew may be it's always a good idea to give each person only one job to do during a landing if you can. Obviously this depends on how many crew you have. Place your best helmsman at the wheel or tiller, place someone at the bow ready to let go the anchor on your signal. One or two crew on the stern lines ready to step ashore or toss the line to a shore based helper as appropriate. If you can place only one person on the stern lines then make sure they deal with the windward line first. If there is anyone left then ask them to take a roaming fender. It is a good idea to cruise past your planned mooring position, point it out clearly to your crew then loop back to begin the approach. This gives everyone on board the chance to check the landing site. The crew on the stern lines should be looking for cleats or rings to which they can tie their lines, the helm should be thinking about where the anchor lines for boats already moored are lying, Is it safe to go stern to? Make sure there is sufficient depth to go right up to the wall. If there is a sloping floor you may need to go in "Bow to" instead. Check which way the neighbouring boats are moored but do not rely on this alone. Your pilot book and some charts should show where the hidden dangers are. Is there enough room with the fenders too? You may need to bring in your fenders and rely on a couple of roaming fenders and those already deployed by the other boats.

Execution
Now turn back to pass your mooring site again but this time, as you pass, turn the boat away from the site, put the prop into neutral and keep the boat inline with but moving away from the landing site. I think you should be at least 5 boat lengths out but the further the better really. Gently reverse the prop to begin your stern to approach. You may not be able to stop the boat going off course before you build up enough speed to enable steering. Do not be tempted to put on too many revs, if you have drifted too far off course by the time you get steerage then simply motor around in reverse until you're lined up again. As you approach the landing site you will need to judge where to drop the anchor. I reckon, if the harbour is not too deep, you should drop the anchor when the stern is about 2 boat lengths from the wall. Give the call to let go the anchor and continue steadily astern. Keep the speed down. As you enter the gap cut the power when you judge the boat has enough way to take you up to the wall. Use a little forward thrust to brake if you have to but be very careful not to power out again. When the stern crew can step ashore (maybe a little jump due to a sloping transom) they should do so (if there are no shore helpers) and either put a turn around the cleat and get back on board or just secure the line on the shore. Take up the slack on the anchor warp and tie it off. Reposition your fenders as required. Once you are settled in your mooring it's best to rearrange your shore lines to take up minimum space on the shore cleat or ring.

A note on setting the anchor
The method I have described here worked well for me during my Greek Island holiday but I have since been told that I should "Snub" the anchor just before landing to make sure it is set. I didn't know of this before hand and the flotilla crew did not suggest it. All I can say is that it was not necessary and, as far as I can see, it would just complicate the process. Maybe I was just lucky but our anchor always set well. There was one occasion when the flotilla skipper dived down to manually set someone's anchor but I think he just fancied a swim! I have also read elsewhere that in order to get good steerage in reverse you should "Punch the boat hard astern and hold your nerve as you charge towards other moored boats waiting for your steering to kick in". What rubbish! No wonder boat insurance premiums are so high.