Rocks can ruin your sailing day or cruising plans in the blink of an eye. Run aground on a rocky reef, and you could damage your expensive hull, keel, rudder, or propeller. Watch this sailing video to learn how to avoid these deadly dangers. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Will your boat anchor hold you safe and sound in the cove or harbor you've chosen? What five factors do you need to use each time before you lower the hook? Watch this sailing video to find the answer. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

What sailing knot could you use when you need the absolute ultimate in security to make two short lines into one longer line? Take the challenge now. Watch this sailing video to learn how to tie this super sailing ‘bend’ knot. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

You may think that three-strand sailing line is no longer used aboard sailboats or powerboats, but it remains my favorite anchor and docking line. It’s easier to splice and more forgiving than cored or braided line, and it tends to chafe less than other lines. Watch this sailing video to learn how to coil three-strand line the correct way. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Have you dreamed of sailing aboard a luxurious sailboat to the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, Pacific, or other exotic places around the world? You can make your dream come true when you do what I’ve done: volunteer to crew aboard someone else’s yacht. But before you go, make sure you practice these ‘need-to-know’ sailing skills. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine sailing in pea-soup fog, picking your way through an unfamiliar channel, filled with buoys and beacons. Which aids to navigation will you choose to help find your way home? Watch this sailing video to learn the answer. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Master your sailboat’s performance by using your traveler to fine-tune sail trim for blazing speed and power. This often-overlooked athwartship track can dramatically improve your sailing. Here are three easy, often forgotten ways to get the most from your traveler. Watch this sailing video to learn more. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

How can you use the secret of natural pivot point to make a sharp turn into a boat slip, avoid a collision with an obstruction or other boat, or turn around in a narrow channel? Watch this video to learn the answer and much more! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Few boat bilge pumps on the market can keep up with water flooding into a boat at a high rate. Before you cast off to go sailing this season, make sure to check the integrity of each ‘sea valve’ that covers holes drilled below your boat’s waterline. This single inspection could save your boat one day! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

All sailors need to know how to use a hank-on jib or staysail. If you get caught out in high winds with too much sail up, how can you make the task of lowering a hank-on headsail safer and easier for your sailing crew? Here’s one technique I learned while sailing in the gusty breezes and choppy waters of San Francisco Bay. (Also, see my video on furling a headsail in high winds: https://youtu.be/SEtJIYLCY3g) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine sailing downwind in a narrow channel, and you need to jibe to bring the wind onto the other side of the stern. What steps will you use to make this challenge safer and easier? Watch this video now. ( Also, see my video on how to use a ‘preventer’ when running downwind: https://youtu.be/31TZMlWOZaQ ) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you plan to sail along the coast or offshore, you’ll want to prepare your boat and crew for rough winds and seas. How can you use the secrets of course changes, weight distribution, or heaving-to for more safety and comfort at sea? Watch this video to learn the answers! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Imagine sailing off the coast or offshore when you hear a Mayday call from another vessel on your radio. You are only two miles from their location, and no one else is closer. Are you required to assist the vessel? What seven steps will you take to help you decide on the safest ‘course of action’? Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Did you know that smoke from a diesel engine could signal internal engine damage or a line wrapped around your propeller? Avoid costly damage to your expensive sailing auxiliary. Watch this sailing video to learn more. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you spot a yellow flashing light ahead of your bow while sailing or motoring at night, what could this mean? What action should you take right now to avoid a deadly collision? Watch this sailing navigation video to learn the answers. Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

You’ve anchored in a peaceful cove after a long sailing passage. Now, you’re settled into your berth for a restful night ‘on the hook’. Just after midnight, you are awakened as your boat shakes and shudders. You dash up the companionway ladder and find you’ve grounded on a rocky shoal. What ten defensive steps could prevent this? Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Did you know that in today’s slippery high-tech sailing line, some knots like the bowline can fail after a short time? Here’s a super-simple, quick solution to boost the integrity of any bowline used aboard your sailboat. Grab some line and tie along with this video! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

Want to lower the stress of docking and make bringing your boat alongside a pier or into a slip easier than ever before? Put these five sea-tested skills into play today. Watch this sailing video to learn more. See this link to master the art of docking: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNLYH4YY/ Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

What sailing equipment costs less than one dollar, weighs less than one ounce and helps keep your sailboat mast up, your blocks and turnbuckles together, and shrouds and stays in place? Watch this sailing video to learn the answer! Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!

If you fall overboard, the countdown timer starts ticking. Emergencies at sea are time-critical. What easy ‘sail alone’ method could even a new sailor use to rescue a person in the water? Watch this sailing video to learn more. (also, see this video on how to get a sailboat into the heave-to position): https://youtu.be/uG9O9hg0Kq0) Captain John is a 20+ year Coast Guard veteran, author, sailor, and professional boating instructor who shows you the simple, cut-to-the-chase sailing skills for safer sailing. Visit his website at www.skippertips.com. Sign up for his highly popular Sailing Tip of the Week. Discover how to get instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, eBooks, and much more!