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 certificate demonstrating pleasure-craft competence in specified categories for use where an authority or operator recognises it. The ICC implements the framework of UNECE Resolution No. 40 through participating national administrations. Its endorsements may cover coastal or inland waters and particular craft or propulsion categories, subject to the issuing country’s rules. It is not a…
A United States sailing-education organisation that develops course standards and accredits affiliated schools and instructors. ASA offers a progression of practical and knowledge-based certifications delivered through its network, covering introductory keelboat sailing, cruising, navigation and specialist subjects. Its certificates are private training credentials rather than US federal operator licences. Acceptance by a charter company, insurer,…
The United Kingdom’s national governing body for recreational and competitive boating. The RYA represents sailing, motor cruising, powerboating, windsurfing, personal watercraft, inland waterways and related activities, and operates training, certification, coaching and performance programmes through recognised centres. It is not the general statutory regulator for UK shipping; responsibilities also sit with government, the Maritime and…
A persistent heel to port or starboard caused by an off-centre weight, flooding or other imbalance rather than wind or turning force. List can result from uneven loading, cargo shift, liquids in partly filled tanks, water ingress or structural damage. It changes available stability and may immerse openings or reduce reserve buoyancy. It must be…
The accelerated, rotating and turbulent stream of water produced by a working propeller. Propeller wash acts on the rudder and nearby hull, contributing to low-speed manoeuvring, and can extend behind or ahead of the vessel depending on propulsion direction. Its strength depends on power, propeller, depth and surrounding structures. Near berths it can move other…
A survival-craft locating device that replies to a searching 9 GHz radar with a distinctive series of returns. When interrogated by compatible X-band radar, a radar SART produces a line of dots or arcs on the rescuer’s display leading towards the device. It is carried on ships and survival craft under applicable GMDSS requirements. It…
A United States Navy scientific institution providing astronomical, Earth-orientation and precise-time data. USNO maintains time standards and produces astronomical observations, reference data and publications supporting navigation, positioning, defence and science. It jointly produces the Nautical Almanac with HM Nautical Almanac Office. Its services provide reference information rather than a complete onboard navigation method; users must…
The UK government organisation responsible for hydrographic data and ADMIRALTY maritime navigation products. UKHO compiles and supplies official charts, electronic navigational charts, sailing directions, tide products, notices and other information for safe navigation, drawing on surveys and data from many authorities. It is an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence and the UK’s national…
The UK office that produces and supplies authoritative astronomical data for navigation, astronomy and timekeeping. HMNAO is part of the UK Hydrographic Office and calculates ephemerides and related data used in publications including the Nautical Almanac, produced jointly with the United States Naval Observatory. Its data supports celestial navigation and other applications, but users must…
A mooring line led from the vessel’s stern area forward to a shore or berth fitting. It opposes the vessel’s movement astern and, together with head lines, stern lines and a forward spring, controls fore-and-aft position and yaw alongside. Lead, length, elasticity and load sharing affect performance. Spring lines can carry high loads and create…
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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