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.
Obstructed, entangled, dirty or otherwise not clear for its intended purpose. The precise meaning depends on context. A fouled propeller or anchor is entangled; a foul bottom is covered with marine growth; foul ground contains obstructions that make anchoring or fishing hazardous; and a foul berth does not provide adequate room to lie safely. The…
An anchor that is entangled, obstructed or unable to work or recover normally. The anchor may be fouled by its own cable, another line or chain, wreckage, rock, debris or seabed obstruction. Fouling can prevent it setting, reduce holding power or make recovery difficult, and the symptoms depend on how and where it is caught….
The standard spoken code word for the letter F in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “FOKS-trot” and is used to spell names, call signs and other information clearly over marine radio. The same word is used in the NATO phonetic alphabet. Foxtrot is also associated with International Code of Signals flag F,…
The vertical distance between a vessel’s waterline and a defined deck or upper reference point. In formal ship measurement, freeboard is measured to the assigned freeboard deck or deck line under the applicable load-line rules. In everyday small-craft use, the word often describes the height from the water to the deck edge or another stated…
The greatest permitted steering angle of a vessel’s rudder to one side. Applying full rudder turns the rudder to the limit allowed by the steering system. It is used when a strong turning effect is required, although the response still depends on water flow over the rudder, vessel speed, hull form and environmental conditions. More…
To gather, roll or fold a sail into its stowed or reduced state. A sail may be rolled around a stay or spar, drawn into a mast or boom, or lowered and secured with sail ties. Completely furling removes it from use; partially rolling a sail reduces area only when the sail and furling system…
The action or equipment used to gather, roll or fold a sail into a stowed or reduced state. Headsail systems commonly rotate a foil or stay, while in-mast and in-boom systems roll a mainsail inside or along a spar. Traditional furling instead lowers and secures the sail without a rotating mechanism. A furling system eases…
A fore-and-aft rig in which a gaff supports the head of a generally four-sided sail. The gaff’s forward end lies against or near the mast and its aft end extends to the sail’s peak. Throat and peak halyards commonly hoist and control it, while the sail’s foot may be set on a boom or left…
A Beaufort force 8 wind, with a mean speed of 34 to 40 knots. At sea, a gale produces moderately high waves, spindrift and well-defined streaks of foam, creating demanding conditions for small craft and exposed operations. Strong gale, storm and violent storm are higher Beaufort forces with their own speed ranges. The range refers…
The compartment or designated area aboard a vessel where food is prepared and cooked. A galley may range from a small counter with a single cooker and sink to a staffed commercial kitchen. Storage restraints, fiddles, latches and sometimes gimballed appliances help equipment and cookware remain controlled as the vessel moves. Fuel isolation, ventilation, flame-failure…
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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