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 geared propulsion leg that carries power from an inboard engine vertically through the hull to an underwater propeller. The engine is mounted inside the vessel and connects to the saildrive leg, which passes through a hull opening sealed by a flexible diaphragm. Lower gears turn the drive through approximately a right angle to the…
A fixed longitudinal projection beneath the hull that provides directional stability or protects and supports underwater gear. A skeg may extend ahead of a rudder, support the lower rudder bearing, protect a propeller, or form part of the aft keel profile. On some planing craft and outboard or stern-drive legs, the term is also used…
Describes two blocks hauled together so that no further purchase movement remains. In a tackle, the moving and fixed blocks become chock-a-block when their shells or fittings meet. Continuing to haul cannot shorten the tackle and may overload the line, fittings or structure. The expression now also means completely full, crowded or tightly packed. Its…
A marine pulley assembly containing one or more sheaves over which a rope or wire runs. Blocks change the direction of a line and, when combined as a tackle, can provide mechanical advantage. Parts may include the shell, sheave, pin or bearing, cheeks, becket and attachment such as a shackle or swivel. A block must…
Describes circulation in the same sense as a cyclone around an area of low pressure. Cyclonic flow is anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere when viewed from above. The term describes the direction and pressure association of the circulation; it does not by itself specify the system’s size, origin or…
An informal name sometimes given to Beaufort force 6, a strong breeze. On the Beaufort scale, force 6 corresponds to a mean wind speed of 22–27 knots. At sea, large waves begin to form, white foam crests are extensive and some spray is likely. The expression is colloquial rather than an official Beaufort description. Force…
The Beaufort force 10 wind description, corresponding to mean wind speeds of 48–55 knots. At sea, very high waves develop with long overhanging crests; the surface becomes white with foam and visibility is reduced by spray. Conditions are dangerous for small craft and place severe demands on vessels and crews. Beaufort force describes observed or…
The Beaufort force 11 wind description, corresponding to mean wind speeds of 56–63 knots. Exceptionally high waves may hide small and medium-sized vessels from view, while foam and spray greatly reduce visibility. Such conditions are extremely hazardous and are rarely encountered by small craft operating prudently. The Beaufort force is based on wind speed and…
A Beaufort force 12 wind, with a mean speed of 64 knots or more. Hurricane force is the highest numbered force on the Beaufort scale and describes extremely destructive wind and exceptional sea conditions. The term can be used for wind outside a tropical cyclone and therefore does not by itself mean that a meteorological…
A five-category scale classifying hurricanes by their maximum sustained surface wind speed. Category 1 begins at 64 knots and Category 5 at 137 knots on the one-minute sustained-wind convention used by the United States National Hurricane Center. The categories indicate potential wind damage but do not measure a cyclone’s physical size or overall destructive potential….
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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