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.
A spring-loaded metal hank used to attach a sail’s luff to a stay. Retracting the piston opens the hook for fitting or removal, while the spring locks it closed in use. Hanks should run freely, face consistently and be checked for wear, corrosion and sharp edges that could damage sail or stay.
The movement of a moored vessel away from its mean or intended position. Wind, waves, current, tide and passing traffic produce surge, sway and yaw that load lines and fenders. Excursion limits must preserve clearance from the berth, other vessels, hoses, gangways and navigation channels.
The line or chain connecting a seabed mooring component to a surface buoy or vessel connection. It transfers mooring load through the water column and may include chain, synthetic rope, swivels and buoyancy. Corrosion, abrasion, fatigue and cyclic bending make inspection and compatible components important.
A country’s official organisation for observing, forecasting and warning about weather and related environmental conditions. It operates national networks and issues forecasts or warnings under its mandate, often including marine services. Product names and geographic responsibilities vary, so mariners should identify the authoritative service for their waters.
An official notice of a newly reported or temporary hazard significant to safe navigation. Warnings may concern failed aids, wrecks, military exercises, drifting objects or changes not yet included in charts. They are distributed through coastal, NAVAREA, NAVTEX, satellite and other services and should be incorporated into passage planning and monitoring.
A vessel’s condition when it is under way but has no movement through the water. It remains under way if it is not anchored, made fast to shore or aground. The distinction matters for navigation lights and collision assessment and differs from making no progress over the ground because current may still carry the vessel.
Radio propagation along a substantially direct path between transmitting and receiving antennas. Its practical range is limited by antenna heights, Earth curvature, obstructions and atmospheric refraction. VHF maritime communication is primarily line-of-sight, so raising an antenna can increase range.
A sail whose foot is attached at the tack and clew but not continuously secured to the boom. The arrangement permits direct control of foot depth with the outhaul and allows the lower sail to assume a smooth shape. Loads remain concentrated at the reinforced corner fittings and their attachments.
The lowest level reached by the tide during a particular tidal cycle.
A formal health declaration supplied by a ship to the competent authority at a port. It reports specified illnesses, deaths and other health information relevant to clearance and public-health measures. Requirements, submission method and responsible signatory depend on international health rules and the port state.
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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