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.Understanding the language of the marine world is like trying to learn a pirate’s secret code while juggling fish. You’ll wonder why a “sheet” isn’t something you sleep under but a rope that controls a sail. “Bowsprit” sounds like a sneeze, “booby hatch” isn’t a bird’s hideout, and “port” doesn’t come in a glass—it’s just left. If someone yells, “Man overboard!” don’t ask which direction they swam. And heaven help you if you think “scuttlebutt” is gossip—well, actually, you’d be right about that one. By the time you’ve figured out that “head” means toilet and “galley” isn’t an alley with gourds, you’ve already been hit with a wave and lost your hat to the wind they call a “nor’easter.”
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.
An arrangement that secures a vessel to the seabed, shore or a fixed structure, or the act of using that arrangement. A mooring may consist of lines to a berth, a permanent buoy and ground tackle, piles, dolphins, fore-and-aft anchors or another engineered system. Unlike anchoring with the vessel’s own anchor, a permanent mooring is…
A buoy connected to seabed ground tackle and intended to provide or identify a point for securing a vessel. The vessel normally connects to a pickup line, pendant, ring or riser associated with the buoy rather than anchoring independently. Buoy colour, markings, ownership and permitted use vary by jurisdiction and purpose; some mooring buoys also…
A metal ring provided as an attachment point for a vessel’s mooring line or connection. A mooring ring may be fitted to a buoy, quay, wall, pile or another fixed structure. A line can be passed through it or connected by an appropriate shackle or strop, depending on the mooring arrangement and local instructions. The…
Proceeding under engine while a sailing vessel also has one or more sails set. Motor sailing can increase speed, reduce rolling or help maintain a chosen course in light or adverse wind. Sail trim and engine power must be coordinated because the apparent wind and loads can change as the vessel accelerates or alters course….
An annual publication of predicted astronomical data used for celestial navigation and related calculations. It tabulates the Greenwich Hour Angle and declination of the Sun, Moon, navigational planets and selected stars, together with auxiliary information for reducing observations and determining time. National almanacs may also contain sunrise, sunset, twilight and other reference tables. A nautical…
A unit of distance defined as exactly 1,852 metres. The international nautical mile is approximately 1.1508 statute miles and underlies the knot, which is one nautical mile per hour. Its length was chosen to approximate one minute of arc along a great circle of the Earth. One minute of latitude is close to a nautical…
Lights displayed by a vessel to indicate its presence, aspect, type, size or operational status to other vessels. Common navigation lights include red and green sidelights, a white sternlight, white masthead lights and all-round lights. The required colour, arc, number, vertical and horizontal arrangement, and range of visibility depend on the vessel’s length, propulsion, activity…
An international automated radio service that broadcasts maritime safety information to ships in coastal and sea areas. NAVTEX transmits navigational and meteorological warnings, forecasts, search-and-rescue information and other urgent messages by narrow-band direct printing. Receivers identify transmitting stations and message categories and can suppress many unwanted repeats while retaining mandatory safety categories. International NAVTEX commonly…
The difference in height between mean high water neaps and mean low water neaps. It represents the average tidal range around neap tides at a particular standard port, derived from observations rather than from one individual high and low water. Neap ranges are generally smaller than spring ranges because solar and lunar tidal influences partly…
A period in the astronomical tidal cycle when the range between successive high and low waters is relatively small. Neaps generally occur near the Moon’s first and third quarter, when lunar and solar tide-generating effects are partly opposed. Local geography, shallow-water constituents and timing mean the smallest observed range need not coincide exactly with the…
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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