How to avoid common sailing mishaps

There’s an old saying that the sea and inland waterways find out everything you did wrong—eventually. Maybe not on day one, when the sun is shining and your deck shoes are still clean. But give it time.

The best boaters are not the boldest. They’re the ones who always make it home safely, according to Chuck Hawley. In his former role as chairman of US Sailing’s Safety at Sea Committee, Hawley—recently inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame after some 40,000 miles at sea—investigated many boating accidents. He’s also been an expert witness in court, and has lectured widely on all manner of mishaps.

One such investigation happened in the summer of 2025, when Hawley was 5 miles from Lake Tahoe, at his family’s cabin. A freak storm blew in, and the swells capsized a boat. “A San Francisco DoorDash executive and his parents were among the eight that died that day,” he reported. – Full report