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 angular area in which observation or a signal is obstructed or unreliable. Masts, sails, superstructure and equipment can create blind sectors for visual lookout, radar, lights or antennas. Their extent should be understood and compensated for by changing observation position, altering heading where safe or using additional sensors and lookouts.
An arrangement of rope and one or more pulley blocks used to gain mechanical advantage or redirect a load. The number of supporting rope parts determines the ideal purchase, while friction reduces the advantage achieved in practice. The rope, blocks, attachments and operating method must all be suitable for the expected load.
A body responsible for local aids to navigation within a harbour, port or defined waterway. It maintains lights, buoys, beacons and other aids in its area, normally subject to national oversight and recognised standards. Its responsibilities are distinct from those of a national or general lighthouse authority.
The coordinated manoeuvre and equipment use required to locate, reach and recover a person from the water. Immediate priorities include raising the alarm, keeping the casualty in sight, marking the position and controlling the vessel. The chosen approach and recovery method depend on vessel type, conditions and crew, and must address the difficulty of lifting…
A vessel with two or more principal hulls arranged side by side. Catamarans have two hulls and trimarans three, generally gaining form stability and deck area with relatively low wetted surface. Their handling, loading, capsize behaviour, marina requirements and response to waves differ from those of comparable monohulls.
The sector too close to the true wind for a sailing vessel to make effective progress under sail. Its width depends on rig, sail trim, sea state and vessel performance. To reach a destination within this sector the vessel must tack, alternating close-hauled courses on either side of the wind.
The inspection of foreign vessels by the maritime authority of a port state. Inspectors check compliance with applicable international safety, pollution-prevention and seafarer standards. Serious deficiencies can lead to corrective requirements or detention, while the flag state retains primary responsibility for the vessel.
The reinforced tack point used to secure the forward lower corner of a reefed sail. When a reef is taken, the reef tack is brought down and secured at the boom or gooseneck so the new foot can be tensioned correctly. It must take luff and foot loads without relying on the intermediate reef points…
A gybe carried out while a spinnaker is set. The sail and its control lines are transferred so it remains correctly supported on the new tack while the mainsail crosses the vessel. The exact sequence differs between symmetric and asymmetric sails and requires coordination to avoid wraps, broaches and uncontrolled boom movement.
The vessel required by the collision regulations to maintain course and speed during a specified encounter, initially. The obligation allows the give-way vessel to take predictable avoiding action, but it does not remove the need for a proper lookout or safe speed. The stand-on vessel may act when it becomes apparent the other vessel is…
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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