All our courses are engaging, interactive and fun! Whether formal training or simply looking to brush up, we take online learning to the next level.
Sailing EssentialsFreeA free course great for anyone who spends time on the water.
Essential Navigation & SeamanshipRYA course for beginners. Learn charts, tides, pilotage, and core seamanship with simple practice tasks.
Day Skipper TheoryMost PopularRYA course for inshore skippers. Plan day passages using chartwork, tides, weather, and COLREGs.
Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster® TheoryComing SoonRYA course for advanced navigation and passage planning, secondary ports, tidal streams, and offshore weather.
SRC (VHF) Marine Radio CourseRYA Short Range Certificate radio course. Study online, then take the practical exam with an RYA assessor.Are you looking for something nautical related? Our directory is an extensive list of courses and places associated with the marine industry. Hop over and search now.
We believe every day’s a school day on a boat! That’s why we built Nautical Know-How, dedicated to answering your questions. Even better, if it can’t answer your question immediately, you can request it, and we’ll add it to our knowledge base.
Nautical Terms & TerminologyUnderstanding the language of the marine world is like trying to learn a pirate’s secret code while juggling fish. Let us explain why a sheet isn’t for your bed, why “heave ho” doesn’t mean throw up (most of the time), and why “dead reckoning” is surprisingly less ominous than it sounds.
Why do we have tides?Have you ever wondered what causes the tides? Check out this video, which introduces the forces that create the tides we experience on Earth.
What causes our weather?A video introducing the drivers behind our weather, part of our RYA Day Skipper & RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster® Offshore theory courses.
Buoyage FlashcardsFlashcards designed to help remember the buoys in the IALA system. If you want to learn them in detail, our module ‘Getting in and out of harbour‘, covers the IALA system and different buoys used.
Interactive Rule Book (COLREGs / IRPCS)Whether you’re a novice sailor or a seasoned skipper, we can help you navigate the IRPCS confidently and clearly. Our easy-to-use, easy-to-understand, plain English rule book with helpful interpretations of what each rule means.
The Salty Sea BlogFrom salty old sea dogs to fresh-faced deckhands, this blog is for anyone who finds peace, adventure, and a bit of mischief on the water. So hoist the main, set your course, and let’s sail into the stories, lessons, and musings that make life on the sea so irresistible.The rising phase of the tide between low water and the following high water. Flood describes changing water level; the associated horizontal flow is a flood tidal stream. That stream may begin or end at a different time from local low or high water and may follow a channel rather than simply flowing directly towards…
A sustained movement of water with a measurable direction and speed. Currents may be driven by wind, density differences, large-scale ocean circulation, river flow, pressure gradients or other processes. Tidal streams are periodic horizontal water movements caused by the tide and are often treated separately in UK navigation terminology. A current changes a vessel’s movement…
The vertical distance from the water surface to the seabed or another underwater feature at a stated time and position. Actual water depth changes with tide, surge, waves and water-level variation. A charted depth is instead referenced to chart datum and must be combined with the height of tide or water level to estimate the…
The mass or weight of water displaced by a floating vessel, equal to the vessel’s total mass or weight in equilibrium. Displacement is commonly quoted as a mass in tonnes even though the traditional word “weight” is often used. Light displacement describes the vessel in a defined light condition, while loaded displacement includes cargo, people,…
The measured separation between two positions or features. Marine distances are commonly expressed in nautical miles, where one international nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres. Shorter distances may use cables or metres, while chart scales and electronic systems can use different units according to context and settings. A distance may be measured along a route,…
In the direction that a river or other watercourse normally flows. Downstream is generally towards the lower reaches or mouth, while upstream is towards the source. The terms describe the watercourse’s normal geographical direction and are useful when identifying banks, traffic direction and the relative position of features. In tidal rivers, the instantaneous current can…
The vertical distance from a vessel’s waterline to its lowest immersed point. Also spelled “draft” in American English, draught may be measured forward, aft or at another stated position, with mean draught derived from specified readings. The lowest point may be a keel, propeller, rudder, drive leg or other projection rather than the hull shell…
To move under the influence of wind, waves or water flow rather than a deliberately maintained track. A vessel can drift when stopped, disabled or intentionally allowed to move with the water, while a floating object drifts according to its windage and immersion. An anchored vessel that moves because the anchor is not holding is…
An official or purpose-produced representation of navigable waters and adjoining areas for marine navigation. A nautical chart can show depths, drying heights, coastline, dangers, aids to navigation, routes, limits, seabed information and notes relevant to passage planning. Scale, projection, horizontal datum, vertical datum and the edition or update status determine how its information must be…
The local reference level from which charted depths and drying heights are measured.
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
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