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Author, sailor, veteran search and rescue skipper, and pro maritime instructor Captain John shows you the no-nonsense cruising skills you need for safer sailing worldwide. Visit his website at https://www.skippertips.com and sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of his sailing articles, videos, FREE e-books, and much more!
Recent Videos
Load provisions for sailing or cruising, and your sailboat may take on a permanent list or become ‘trimmed’ down by the bow or stern. And that can affect sailing performance in a big way! Follow these five steps for boating safety this season.
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author,...
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If you rely on electronics alone for weather predictions, you are missing one of the most valuable weather planning tools in existence. Learn the secrets used by mariners worldwide to find the best sailing winds, fairest currents, avoid gales, storms, fog and much more! Download FREE pilot charts here:...
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How can you keep your sailboat diesel engine running strong and worry-free when sailing or cruising? Put these five easy engine tasks on your checklist today to keep your 'iron Genny' running like a top all sailing season long!
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional...
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If you want to avoid running aground or ending up on the wrong side of a buoy, beacon, light, or other navigation marker, you’d better check the chart before you enter. Why? In US waters, red markers are not always kept on the right side, nor are green markers always kept to port. Watch this sailing...
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Are you sure your sailing navigation skills are up to speed? If the GPS fails or a hacker causes a major disruption (think of the recent past), recreational skippers may be the first to feel the pain of sailing without electronics. Use these seven navigation tips to make sure you have the skills you...
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Cast off to go sailing, and your halyards, sheets, and sails come under heavy load, and every piece of rigging aboard your boat will vibrate. What one simple step can you take right now to reduce the risk of catastrophic rigging failure? Check out this sailing video to learn more!
Captain John is a...
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Imagine you are tied up between two million-dollar yachts and need to undock your boat. A gusty wind blows from ahead of the bow (or is blowing off the pier). How can you use a single spring line to undock your sailboat smooth and easy? Watch this video to learn the answer!
Captain John is a 20+ year...
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Are you prepared to hoist a spare ‘hank-on’ headsail if your furling gear breaks? What easy steps can you take while still at the dock to rig a working jib, storm sail, or other headsail, ready to hoist before you cast off? Watch this sailing video now!
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran,...
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How can you determine how tight of a turn your sailboat can make under mainsail, headsail, or a combo of main and headsail? Once you come out of the turn, how long will it take for her to drift to a stop to pick up a person in the water, a mooring buoy, or to dock your boat next to a pier? Watch this...
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You are sailing along the coast and enter a narrow channel, bound for your overnight anchorage. Ahead off the starboard bow, you sight a diamond-shaped daybeacon, but your chart display shows a square-shaped symbol. What action should you take to avoid grounding?
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard...
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Do you have a secondary emergency anchor ready to deploy from the cockpit in a matter of seconds? How could you rig this anchor if you wanted to use it as your primary ‘bow’ anchor when singlehanded sailing? Watch this sailing video to learn more.
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran,...
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Imagine sailing along the coast or offshore when, without warning, your mainsail halyard breaks. How can you rig your mainsail topping lift to hoist the mainsail and avoid a trip to the masthead? Watch this sailing video to learn more.
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor,...
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