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 structure formed by interlacing or looping rope, cord or similar flexible material so it holds under an intended load. Knots may form a fixed or adjustable loop, join two lines, attach a line to an object, create a stopper or shorten a rope. In strict terminology, bends join lines and hitches attach a line…
The meridian defined as 0° longitude from which east and west longitude are measured. The internationally adopted reference passes through the Airy Transit Circle at Greenwich for historical mapping purposes, while modern geodetic reference systems realise zero longitude through Earth-centred coordinate frameworks that differ slightly from the historic line on the ground. Longitude is measured…
A unit of length equal to 5,280 feet, or exactly 1,609.344 metres. It is the standard land mile used in the United Kingdom and United States and may appear in inland-navigation distances, local regulations or non-marine publications. A statute mile is shorter than a nautical mile, which is exactly 1,852 metres. Units must be identified…
A backstay that can be tensioned or released during sailing to support the mast and control rig loads. Running backstays are normally fitted as a port-and-starboard pair from the after part of the vessel to an upper mast attachment. The windward runner is tensioned while the leeward one is eased so the boom and sail…
An international professional institution advancing naval architecture and associated maritime engineering. The Royal Institution of Naval Architects supports professional development, technical exchange, publications, conferences and recognition for naval architects, maritime engineers and related specialists. It was founded in 1860 and later incorporated by Royal Charter. RINA is a professional body rather than a ship classification…
An independent unit of the UK Department for Transport that investigates marine accidents to improve safety and prevent recurrence. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigates qualifying accidents involving UK vessels worldwide and vessels in UK territorial waters. It publishes reports, identifies causal and contributing factors, and may issue safety recommendations. Its purpose is safety learning,…
The three statutory bodies providing general aids to marine navigation around the United Kingdom and Ireland. They are Trinity House, the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, commonly known as Irish Lights. Their respective areas cover England and Wales with the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and…
The General Lighthouse Authority responsible for marine aids to navigation around the island of Ireland and its adjacent seas and islands. Irish Lights provides and maintains offshore and coastal lights, buoys, beacons and related services across both jurisdictions on the island, and oversees local aids within its statutory remit. It cooperates with Trinity House and…
The General Lighthouse Authority responsible for aids to navigation in Scotland and the Isle of Man. The Northern Lighthouse Board provides and maintains lighthouses, buoys, beacons and associated systems in its area and oversees many local aids maintained by other bodies. It works with Trinity House and Irish Lights through the General Lighthouse Authorities. Published…
The General Lighthouse Authority responsible for aids to navigation in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Trinity House provides and maintains lighthouses, buoys, beacons and related aids in its area and inspects local aids maintained by other authorities. It is also a maritime charity and a Deep Sea Pilotage Authority. Its statutory aids-to-navigation role…
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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