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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
Are you ready to sail into an anchorage or approach a pier under mainsail alone, remove a jam from a winch, or choose the right storm sail to claw off a lee shore? How can you rig a simple ‘downhaul line’ to retrieve a lost halyard without making a trip to the masthead? ( also, see this video: https://youtu.be/uEWfswjNgzY?si=s9HmIYUAO0GVPTDt...
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What is the boat skipper’s #1 goal? Simple, really: the safe navigation of the vessel from start to finish, and including all stops. Discover the five golden rules of coastal and offshore navigation that have stood the test of time. Also, see this video: https://youtu.be/kvI3GR8ixvQ
Captain John is...
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How can an anchor trip-line, a five-second vibration test or a single simple sailing tip to choose the perfect working anchor make sailing or cruising safer worldwide? Watch this video now to find out more!
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor...
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What visual signs will give you the ‘real-time’ reading of wind or current to help you dock your boat with precision? How can you tell if your engine will answer your commands when using docking speeds? Have you made a ‘drift rate’ test to choose the best approach to a pier or slip?
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What nautical chart symbols spell "danger" for the unwary sailing skipper? Wrecks can do a lot of costly damage to your sailboat hull, rudder, keel or propeller. Watch this sailing video to learn what you need to know to avoid these hazards of the deep!
Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran,...
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Take a course at a sailing school, and you will probably learn a series of loops and turns while practicing the recovery of a person in the water under sail alone. In the real world of boating, short-handed crews will often use the engine for better control from start to finish. Watch this sailing video...
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Your mainsail’s primary control is the mainsheet. If this vital block and tackle system fails, you will be unable to trim the leech of your mainsail or control the boom. What steps can you take to use materials already aboard your boat to create an emergency mainsheet in an emergency? Watch this sailing...
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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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