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 average height of the two successive high waters during spring-tide periods at a stated location and over a defined observation period.
The average height of the two successive low waters during neap-tide periods at a stated location and over a defined observation period.
The average height of the two successive low waters during spring-tide periods at a stated location and over a defined observation period.
A pair or series of separated lights that define a navigational leading line when seen in vertical alignment.
A marked line with a weighted lead used to measure water depth and, in some forms, obtain a seabed sample. The line carries distance marks that are read when the lead reaches the bottom and the line is approximately vertical. A hollow or tallowed recess in the lead can bring up material indicating whether the…
An aid to navigation placed on or moored above an isolated danger with navigable water all around it. Under the IALA Maritime Buoyage System it is coloured black with one or more broad red horizontal bands and carries two black spheres as its topmark. Its light, when fitted, is white and shows a group of…
A projection of land extending from a coast into the sea or another body of water. Headlands are often visually prominent and may serve as charted landmarks, but they need not be high or narrow. Their shape reflects geology, erosion and deposition, and bays commonly lie between adjacent projections. Tidal streams, wind and waves can…
The elevation of a navigational light’s focal plane above its stated vertical datum. For a shore light, the chart or light list states both the height and the datum used; the datum varies by hydrographic authority and location and must not be assumed always to be Mean High Water Springs. The focal plane is the…
The vertical distance of the sea surface above the chart datum at a stated place and time. Adding predicted height of tide to a charted drying height or depth gives an estimate of water level or available depth, provided the same datum is used. Chart datum is often related to Lowest Astronomical Tide but its…
The highest tidal level predicted to occur under average meteorological conditions from any combination of astronomical influences.
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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