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.Maritime flags might look like an elegant dance of colors and shapes, but let’s be honest—it’s basically nautical texting for people who don’t trust Wi-Fi at sea. One flag says, “I need a pilot,” while another shouts, “Dangerous cargo, keep clear!”—basically the oceanic equivalent of wearing a shirt that says, I carry emotional baggage. And don’t even get me started on the pennants; they’re like the ship’s mood rings, changing every day to broadcast messages like “I’m racing today” or “Permission to dock, please!” Imagine the chaos if sailors started misreading them like autocorrect. “Wait, are they saying ‘man overboard’ or ‘fish for dinner’?!”
The standard maritime radiotelephony pronunciation of the digit seven. It is spoken as “SEV-en” when transmitting figures clearly by voice. The stressed first syllable forms part of a standard numeral set and seven is not a letter in the phonetic alphabet. The International Code of Signals also has a numeral pennant for seven, shown on…
The standard maritime radiotelephony pronunciation of the digit eight. It is spoken as “AIT” when transmitting figures clearly by voice. In this context the spelling shows pronunciation and does not refer to an ait, the separate geographical word for a small river island. The International Code of Signals also has a numeral pennant for eight,…
The standard maritime radiotelephony pronunciation of the digit nine. It is spoken as “NIN-er” when transmitting figures clearly by voice. The added final syllable helps distinguish the numeral under difficult reception conditions and is part of standard figure pronunciation. The International Code of Signals also has a numeral pennant for nine, shown on this page….
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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