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.
The actual load carried or expected in normal service by a component or system. It must remain within the relevant working load limit after allowing for lead angles, dynamic effects, wear and the weakest component. Working load is not the same as breaking load or proof load.
An International Telecommunication Union conference that reviews and revises the Radio Regulations. WRC decisions allocate spectrum and set international provisions affecting maritime, aeronautical, satellite and other radio services. Conferences are held periodically, and changes are implemented through the resulting treaty acts and national administrations.
A condition in which a vessel’s stern draught is greater relative to its bow draught than the chosen even-keel reference. It can result from loading, fuel distribution, speed or flooding and affects handling, resistance, propeller immersion and clearances. The amount of trim is assessed from forward and aft draughts or a stability calculation.
A light line attached to an anchor or underwater object to help release or recover it from an obstructed direction. For an anchor it is commonly secured near the crown and may lead to a buoy or back aboard. It can foul other craft, the anchor or propeller, so its use and marking require judgement…
In or toward the direction from which the wind is blowing. A sailing vessel cannot sail directly upwind and must make progress by close-hauled legs on alternate tacks. The word can describe a location, a course objective or the windward side of another object.
A combined estimate of the ranging errors affecting a satellite-navigation measurement, expressed as an equivalent distance. It includes satellite clock and orbit error, atmospheric delay, receiver noise and multipath components as applicable. Position error also depends on satellite geometry, so UERE is not itself the final position uncertainty.
A time scale based on the Earth’s actual angle of rotation relative to astronomical reference directions. Because Earth’s rotation is irregular, UT1 gradually differs from uniform atomic time. UTC is kept close to UT1 through internationally managed adjustments, and the difference is important in precise astronomy and geodesy.
A vessel secured to the seabed by its anchor and not under way. It must display the lights and day shapes required for its size and circumstances and maintain an appropriate lookout. Swinging circle, depth, weather, traffic and risk of dragging remain active navigational concerns.
The formal transfer of responsibility and operational information from one watchkeeper to the next. The relieving person must be fit, informed and satisfied with the vessel’s position, course, traffic, weather, equipment status, orders and current work before taking over. Handover should be delayed during a critical situation unless the transfer can be completed safely.
The organised maintenance of continuous navigational, engineering, radio, security or safety duties aboard a vessel. A watchkeeper monitors the vessel and environment, follows standing orders and regulations and remains ready to act. Fitness, lookout, situational awareness, records and proper relief are central to an effective watch.
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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