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.
To arrange a line or sail in orderly folds so it can be stored or run without tangling. A line may be flaked in long back-and-forth turns on deck or into a container, especially before it must pay out rapidly. A sail may be flaked in alternate folds along a boom or on deck for…
Laying a line in long, orderly turns so it remains clear and can run out without tangling. The turns are normally placed back and forth on a clean deck or in a suitable container, with the end required first positioned for a clear lead. This is particularly useful for heaving lines, towlines, halyards and other…
Folding a sail in neat alternating layers for securing, handling or storage. A mainsail is commonly flaked along the boom with folds laid to alternate sides before sail ties or a cover are fitted. A removed sail may be spread, dried and folded according to its cut, battens and storage requirements. Orderly flaking reduces bulk…
To trim or hold a sail so the wind presses on the side opposite its normal driving side. A backed headsail can push the bow away from the wind during a tack, help balance a vessel when hove to, or drive the vessel astern in a controlled manoeuvre. A sail may back unintentionally when the…
To balance sails and helm so a sailing vessel makes little headway and lies relatively steady. A common method backs the headsail, eases or reefs the mainsail and puts the helm to oppose the vessel’s tendency to turn. The vessel normally drifts slowly to leeward and may fore-reach rather than stop completely. Heaving-to can provide…
To depart on a voyage, or more literally to hoist and trim sails for sailing. Historically the phrase referred to setting a vessel’s sails as part of getting under way. It now commonly describes the start of any sea voyage, including one made by a powered vessel. Before departure, the vessel should be prepared for…
The condition in which an anchor has dug into the seabed and is resisting the vessel’s pull. An anchor is set by lowering it under control, paying out appropriate rode and progressively applying load so its flukes penetrate a suitable bottom. The crew then checks position, transits, bearings or electronic movement to assess whether it…
A sheltered area of water where vessels can anchor, moor or berth with protection from open-water conditions. A harbour may be natural, artificially protected by breakwaters, or a combination of both. It may contain channels, anchorages, marinas, docks and port facilities, but a harbour is not necessarily a commercial port. Shelter varies with wind and…
Confused, uncertain or unable to decide what to do. The modern expression describes a person who has lost their sense of direction in a problem or situation. Its nautical image is of being away from familiar landmarks and without a clear position or course. It does not normally mean that a vessel is literally adrift…
In older nautical use, an instruction or description meaning to keep a vessel away to windward or at a distance. The word developed from the command “a-luff”, directing a helmsman towards the wind, and acquired the wider sense of standing apart. Usage and spelling varied in early English nautical language. Today, aloof normally describes a…
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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