Captain John with 25+ years of experience 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 you can gain instant access to hundreds of sailing articles, videos, FREE e-Books and much more!

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In this episode, we continue on our journey north toward Thailand. After getting smoked by a massive squall the day before, we pick up anchor and head back out to sea. Once again the sky is dark and the wind is up. Being a little more tentative this time, we lean on the side of caution and try our best to dodge the bad weather…

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1. Check Your Ground Tackle for Integrity

Check your anchor ground tackle before you make your approach into an anchorage. This applies to quiet coves or crowded anchorages. Ground tackle consists of each part of your anchor, fastenings, rope, and chain that form an “umbilical cord” from your boat to the sea bottom. If one single part of your ground tackle fails, this could put your boat and sailing crew in danger. You could drag anchor and end up aground.

Take the time now to check for chafe (wear and tear), broken fittings, and bent or distorted anchor parts. Pay close attention to the anchor shank (long arm of the anchor attached to your rope or chain). This vulnerable anchor part needs to be straight without distortion. If bent, do not attempt to straighten the shank. This will weaken it–much like bending a paperclip back and forth. Use another anchor for peace of mind.

2. Choose Protection from Wind and Waves

What direction are the winds from right now? Are those winds expected to shift in a new direction over the next 24-48 hours? Answer these two vital questions before you select an anchorage. Next, look at your nautical chart and find a cove or indentation with protection from wind and waves on at least two sides. Protection on three sides gives you the best security.

For example, let’s say the wind blows from the north. You listen to the predicted forecast and winds are expected to shift to the northeast overnight. Choose an anchorage with protection from the north and east, or protection from the west, north and east. That way, your small sailboat will be protected from the present wind and waves (from the north), and the future, predicted wind and waves (from the northeast).

3. Know Your Seabed Bottom Material

Scan the chart inside the cove you have chosen. You need to have bottom material that your anchor can get a bite into. Sand, hard mud, and clay are ideal to drop your hook. Anchors tend to bury deep into these types of seabed materials. On the other hand, rock, grass, or kelp will be quite difficult for most any anchor to bite into. Your anchor might bounce over a rock-hard bottom or slide over slippery seabeds. Take the time to choose an “anchor friendly” seabed and you will sleep better at night.

4. Select the Best Anchor for the Sea Bottom

Carry at least two anchors aboard your boat. Purchase original anchors–not knock-offs. Copy-cat anchors can be of questionable build quality–unable to take the shear loads experienced when anchored. Choose an anchor that works well in good bottoms and one that you can trust in poorer bottoms. For softer seabeds like soft mud or soft sand pick an anchor like the Fortress. For other bottoms, use a well-proven boat anchor like the Rocna.

Cruising sailboats often carry three or more anchors so that they can use multiple anchors in stormy weather. Remember this–your anchor becomes your #1 primary insurance policy underway–not a piece of paper from a marine insurance company! Spend the money for superior anchor gear and you will be rewarded with confidence, peace-of-mind, and worry-free cruising anywhere in the world.

If you are anything like me, anchoring your sailboat in a quite, snug cove or harbor can be hard to beat.

5. Allow for Swing Room and Scope

Survey the anchorage area once you arrive. Make a few loops around the anchorage spot. Look at how other boats are anchored. Follow suite. If other boats have two anchors out, so should you. Favor that side of the anchorage nearer boats with designs close to your boat. Boats of like-designs swing at anchor in similar fashion.

Remember that your anchor marks the center of the circle and you will swing around the anchor in a circle–called a “swing circle”. Estimate the swing-circle of other boats. When you drop anchor, make sure that your swing circle does not intersect the swing-circle of another boat. Keep well clear of shoals (shallow water) or land downwind of your chosen anchor spot. Calculate the amount of anchor rode you need for safety. Allow 7 feet of rode for each foot of water depth–called “scope”. Add expected height of tidal rise and the distance of your bow above water in your calculations.

For example, let’s say you arrive at your anchorage and you will anchor in 10 feet of water. The tide tables say the tide will rise another 5 feet. Your bow is 3 feet above the water. How much scope do you need? Add everything and multiply by 7. 10 feet + 5 feet + 3 feet = 18 feet x 7 = 126 feet. Put out 126 feet of anchor rode for safe anchoring.

Follow these five tips for anchoring your sailboat safe and sound in any anchorage. This will give you confidence and peace-of-mind–wherever in the world you choose to cruise!

Captain John shows you the sailing skills you need for safe sailing anywhere in the world. Sign up for a FREE issue of the highly popular “Captain John’s Sailing Tips” newsletter and learn how you can get instant access to over 425 sailing articles, sailing videos, newsletters and more at SkipperTips.

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In this episode, we depart the city of Padang in West Sumatra, Indonesia on a 300 nautical mile journey to the island of Nias. Trawling through the Telos islands trying to catch dinner, we end up hooking more than we bargained for! What do you do with a fish this big!

Smooth sailing and a terrific passage to our destination, Bonita is busy in the kitchen when the gas runs out. With a public holiday in the islands, trying to get gas turns out to be impossible! With no way of cooking dinner, we need to get creative and go cook up a feast on the fire!

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The last thing you want are sails that don’t provide you with speed, power, and performance. Make this simple inspection before the sailing season begins and after it ends.

Tools you need for these sail care tips: 

• Pencil
• Ribbon (bright colored)

Check the Seams and Pockets

Your sailmaker lays one panel on top of another to span the width of the sail from luff to leech. Each panel overlaps the other with a seam of from 1/2″ to 1″. Next, two to three rows of zigzag stitching are run down each seam to hold the panels together.

Look all along these seams from luff to leech for any areas of broken sailmaking thread. Circle those with a pencil (this will not stain the sail and can be removed in an instant).

This will help your sailmaker find those areas later on. Continue along each seam from the foot (bottom) of the sail to the head (top) of the sail.

Go to the leech (trailing edge) of the mainsail and check each batten pocket. Of all the areas that wear out, batten pockets get the #1 spot. Circle any areas along the batten pocket that show broken thread or chafed spots.

Mainsail Seams and Hardware

Check the luff (leading edge) of each sail next. Chafe (worn spots) can cause weakness. This weakness affects your luff hardware. On the mainsail, there are three ways that the sail feeds into your mast slot.

On small sailboats, a rope has been sewn into the luff from the tack (lower corner) to the head and along the foot of the sail. This rope, called a “boltrope” strengthens the cloth. The boltrope feeds into the slots inside the mast and boom to hold the sail in place.

On larger sailboats, holes are punched at intervals of 6″ to 9″ just behind the luff and foot boltropes. Next, the sailmaker installs a brass grommet (ring) into each hole. Then mast attachment hardware, called slugs or slides are attached to each grommet.

Sail slugs are used to attach a mainsail to a boat that has a slotted groove inside the mast and boom. The sail slugs are fed into the slot one at a time.

Sail slides are used to attach a mainsail to mast and boom that have external tracks that run along the outside of the mast and boom.

You need to check each grommet for wear and each slug or slide for cracks or distortion. If a luff slug or slide breaks while sailing, this can cause the sail to rip across a seam. Tie a piece of bright-colored ribbon through any grommet, slide, or slug that shows damage or looks like a potential problem.

Genoa and Jib Sail Wear

Furling Genoas may be convenient, but they wear like the dickens because they are kept out in the weather, exposed and vulnerable. The sacrificial leech cover that rolls over the Genoa to protect it when furled needs to be replaced when it shows signs of wear.

You also want to check all along the luff. Furling Genoas often have a stainless wire inside the luff sleeve that runs from the tack to the head. This wire feeds the sail into the metal extrusion of your furling gear. After a few seasons, you might see chafe spots along the luff where the wire rubs against the cloth. Mark these spots with your pencil.

Now you know just what to show your sailmaker when you take your sails in for an overhaul. This can save you lots of big repairs and huge amounts of money in the future when you catch small problems right now!

Learn to sail with more confidence when you know the best way to inspect your costly sailboat sails. You will be able to sail all season long worry free with more speed, power, and performance than ever before–wherever in the world you choose to sail!

Captain John shows you the sailing skills you need for safe sailing anywhere in the world. Sign up for a FREE issue of the highly popular “Captain John’s Sailing Tips” newsletter and learn how you can get instant access to over 425 sailing articles, sailing videos, newsletters and more at SkipperTips.

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In Sailing Nandji Ep 284 , we are out in the Mentawai Islands in need of supplies before some bad weather arrives. Yosh heads into the town to get some fuel, food and other essentials for the potential week of bad weather and being boat-bound. Bonita has been braving her way through a relentless toothache for a while now and since the only dentist around is 100 nautical miles away, we set sail for the main city of Sumatra, Indonesia. Padang. With more bad weather inbound, it’s a rush to get everything done and get out of the city. As Bonita returns from the dentist, she is ready for anything!!

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1. Pack the Right Clothes

There’s a saying that goes something like this “There is no such thing as bad weather-only bad clothes“. Makes a lot of sense-in particular in a dynamic environment like sailing. Put together a small duffel bag with the “must have” sailing gear.

Include a foul weather jacket, complete change of clothes, wide-brimmed hat. That way, if you get spray or rain or stay out longer than expected, you will stay dry and warm (or cool) in most any sailing weather.

2. Bring Your Own “Grab Bag”

Among our top 10 sailing tips… make up a personal “must have” bag. Match the contents to the type of sailing you do. Your grab-bag will be the one thing you grab in an emergency.

If you need to leave the boat for any reason, you need common items like extra keys, wallet, cell phone, change, and identification in order to get home safe and sound. Pack your personal grab bag now to give you peace of mind for safer sailing.

3. Carry a Sailing Knife

Sail World carried a tragic story a short time ago about a young teenage girl. Her sailing dinghy capsized. She had attached herself by a hiking harness to the boat. When she capsized, the boat turtled (turned over–bottom-up) on top of her. She was unable to untangle herself from the harness and drowned.

It’s understandable that folks tend to shun knives and similar equipment on their belts. It’s a bit weighty, adds bulk on a hot day, and many like to sail unencumbered. Find a small compact knife that will fit into a sheath or has a clip that will fasten to your sailing shorts.

Carry it when you go sailing. Not below packed in a bag–but on your shorts or pants. If you need to use it for cutting rope or in an emergency, it will be with you, ready in the blink of an eye.

4. Build Up Wrist Strength

Did you realize that wrist injuries and soreness plague sailors? You use your wrists to steer the boat, crank on winches, hoist or lower sails, lower or raise the anchor, move forward or aft on the boat, or brace yourself below in the cabin when heeled over.

Use a soft ball like a tennis ball and squeeze; hold for ten seconds; release. Repeat this while you walk or sit several times a day. This simple exercise will help build up this often-forgotten vital muscle fast and easy and lessen the chance of injury aboard any sailboat you sail aboard.

5. Listen to the 24-hour Weather Forecast

Expect to be out longer than you plan. Turn on the Weather Radio and listen to the forecast for the next 24 hours. How will the wind shift? Will this create a long hard slog to windward back to the marina slip or pier?

If you go out for a day sail, consider sailing windward early on so the sail back will be an easy reach or run. Look for anchorages along your sailing route in case the weather turns foul. Become weather-wise to keep your sailing fun and safe for you and your sailing crew.

6. Know Your Anchoring Techniques

No piece of vital sailing gear gets ignored more than the boat anchor. Make sure that the anchor aboard any boat you sail on will be ready to lower within 10 seconds.

Check the parts of the anchor from the bitter end of the anchor rode where it ties to your boat, all the way down the rope rode, anchor chain, anchor shackles, and all parts of the anchor itself (ring, shank, flukes). Keep this #1 life-insurance gear in tip-top shape for worry-free sailing worldwide.

7. Inspect Your Sailboat from Bow to Stern

Start at the bow and check the anchor, lifelines, turnbuckle fittings, cotter pin integrity, standing rigging like boom vangs, traveler lines, mainsheet and Genoa sheets.

Look for chafed line, missing cotter pins, bent anchor shank or distorted turnbuckle barrels. Take five minutes to check your boat before you get underway to save you the headache of an unexpected fitting failure underway.

8. Use Nautical Charts Along with Electronics

Read the opening screen of any electronic GPS or chart plotter and the disclaimer warns about total reliance on that gear. Purchase the paper charts you need for your sailing area.

If you day sail, carry aboard a large-scale (magnified) chart of your sailing grounds. If you coastal cruise, you need navigational charts of the coastline, approaches to harbors, and inner harbor areas. Offshore sailors need the same and more. Paper charts back up the electronics.

Electronics can never replace paper charts. Stay safe and sound when you carry the paper charts you need for sailing safety.

9. Practice Boat Maneuvers and Control

Spend part of each sailing day and practice one specific maneuver. Toss a fender overboard and tack or jibe to see if you can sail your boat up to the fender, stop alongside the object with the sails luffing, and retrieve the object.

The more your practice intricate maneuvers the better you will be at sailing in tight quarters, turning your boat around in an emergency, or coming alongside afloat, pier, or mooring buoy under sail alone.

10. Read and Learn About Sailing Each Day

Legendary sailor and author Hal Roth once said “A good sailor is always studying and learning and asking questions“. Whether you are stuck in a place far from the coast, waiting for winter to end, or find that you just don’t have time for sailing right now–never, ever stop learning.

Each day, set yourself a goal to learn something new about sailing. Learn a new sailing term, read up on the latest sailing equipment, or visit a sailing forum like Sailnet or Sailing Anarchy to see what experienced sailors have to say. Discover something new each day to become more comfortable and confident in sailing.

Follow these ten top sailing tips for smoother, safer, more fun sailing. This will give you the confidence and skills you need to enjoy one of the life’s greatest pleasures–wherever in the world you choose to go sailing!

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Captain John shows you the sailing skills you need for safe sailing anywhere in the world. Sign up for a FREE issue of the highly popular “Captain John’s Sailing Tips” newsletter and learn how you can get instant access to over 425 sailing articles, sailing videos, newsletters and more at SkipperTips.

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