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 International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “I have a pilot on board.”. The Hotel flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information or intention but…
An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “I require a pilot.”. The Golf flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information or intention but does not…
An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “I am disabled; communicate with me.”. The Foxtrot flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information or intention but…
An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “I am altering my course to starboard.”. The Echo flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information or intention…
An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “Keep clear of me; I am manoeuvring with difficulty.”. The Delta flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information…
An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “Yes—an affirmative response.”. The Charlie flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information or intention but does not remove…
An International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is “I am taking in, discharging or carrying dangerous goods.”. The Bravo flag may be displayed alone to convey this internationally assigned meaning. It can also appear as a character within multi-flag groups, where the complete group has a different coded interpretation. The signal communicates information…
An unintended gybe in which the boom and mainsail cross the vessel abruptly as the apparent wind moves across the stern. It may result from poor course control, rolling, a wind shift, an over-eased course or loss of steering. The boom, mainsheet and traveller can move with great force, risking injury, gear damage, broach or…
A proprietary-style fixed-shank plough anchor with a weighted, roughly triangular fluke designed to set quickly. The original Delta design and similar anchors use a single concave or plough-form fluke without a roll bar. They generally perform well in sand and mud, but holding and reset behaviour varies with size, seabed, scope, loading and the particular…
A depositional landform built where a river delivers sediment into a sea, lake or other relatively still body of water. As flow slows, sediment is deposited and the river may divide into distributary channels. Delta shape and growth depend on sediment supply, waves, tides, currents, sea level and human alteration. For navigation, deltas may contain…
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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