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 vertical distance from chart datum to the seabed or the top of a charted underwater feature. Soundings printed on a nautical chart are referenced to chart datum. Adding the predicted or observed height of tide gives an estimate of the water depth at that time. The navigator then compares the result with the vessel’s…
The available distance between a vessel and an overhead, underwater or nearby obstruction. Vertical or overhead clearance is compared with the vessel’s air draught when passing beneath a bridge, cable or other structure. Under-keel clearance is the distance remaining between the vessel’s lowest point and the seabed or a submerged obstruction. The unqualified word “clearance”…
A power-driven vessel severely restricted in its ability to leave its course because of its draught in relation to the available navigable water. The status depends on both depth and width: a deep-draught vessel in a channel may be unable to alter course without losing adequate under-keel clearance or leaving the water it can safely…
A line on a nautical chart joining points of equal charted depth relative to the chart’s vertical datum. Also called an isobath, a depth contour helps depict the shape of the seabed and the boundary between depth bands. Closely spaced contours often indicate a steeper slope, but survey density, generalisation and chart scale limit how…
The direction in which a vessel should be steered to achieve a required track after allowing for expected set and drift. A course-to-steer calculation combines the intended ground track with the forecast tidal stream or current and, where appropriate, leeway. The result may first be a true direction and then be converted through variation and…
A defined or naturally navigable passage through a body of water. A channel may be the naturally deeper part of a river, estuary or coastal area, or a surveyed and dredged route maintained for shipping. Buoys, beacons, leading marks, lights or charted limits may identify its sides and alignment. Charted depth, width and marking do…
A traditional short-distance unit at sea, now commonly treated as one-tenth of a nautical mile. Using the international nautical mile, one cable is therefore 185.2 metres. Historical definitions varied by country and practice, and the frequently quoted 100 fathoms equals 182.88 metres rather than exactly one-tenth of the modern nautical mile. The context and standard…
A place where vessels anchor or may anchor. An anchorage may be officially designated and charted or simply a location selected by a mariner. It may serve leisure craft, ships awaiting a berth, quarantine or other operational needs, and it is not necessarily sheltered or provided with good holding ground. Selection requires assessment of depth…
To bring a vessel deliberately onto a shore or drying surface. Beaching may be used for landing, inspection, maintenance, emergency action or planned drying out. Suitability depends on hull and appendage design, bottom material and slope, wave action, tidal range and how the vessel will be supported as the water falls. A plan should cover…
The maximum width of a vessel, measured across the hull at the stated reference level. Beam is a principal dimension, but published figures may refer to moulded beam, extreme beam or another defined measurement and can include or exclude projections. The widest point is not necessarily at the vessel’s longitudinal midpoint. Beam influences space, resistance…
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...
Our 1% commitment
My Sailing Course contributes 1% of every Stripe payment to help promising carbon removal technologies move from the lab into the field.
Stripe Climate commitments fund the development and purchase of carbon removal. They are not carbon offsets or credits attached to an individual order.
Welcome to My Sailing Course. Where's this adventure going to take you?
Ahoy there, Visiting Sailor! Ask us anything—whether you need help choosing a course, have a sailing question, or want to speak to the crew.
Scan with your phone to open the My Sailing Course WhatsApp service. You can review or edit the prepared message before sending it.
Your conversation stays with My Sailing Course so our Support team can respond securely.
Enter at least two characters to explore.
Welcome back aboard. Sign in with the email address connected to your My Sailing Course account.
Your account details are encrypted in transit and your password is never displayed or stored by this form. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.
Join free to save your favourites, unlock bonus learning resources and keep everything nautical close at hand.
Join the My Sailing Course community with one secure account for your courses, profile and support.
We've successfully created your account. Hold station for a few moments and you will be returned to the page.
Already have an account? Sign in
Enter your account email and we will send you a secure reset link.
This reset link is invalid or has expired.
Your new password is saved securely. We are confirming it across My Sailing Course before you sign in.
Please keep this window open. It will change to the sign-in form as soon as every service confirms the update.
