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 lower, furl or otherwise remove a sail from use. The instruction may mean lowering a sail onto the deck or boom, rolling it on a furler or bringing it aboard, according to the sail and rig. It differs from reefing, which reduces the working area while leaving the sail set. Crew should prepare halyards,…
To assume responsibility for operating a vessel’s steering control. A proper handover identifies the course or heading, steering mode, traffic, wind and current, vessel response and any current helm order. The person taking over should confirm control and demonstrate that the wheel, tiller or autopilot interface is responding as expected. Taking the helm does not…
The international radiotelephony spelling word for the letter T. It is used to spell call signs, identifiers and words clearly over voice radio. Its prescribed spoken form is represented as ‘TANG GO’. The International Code of Signals assigns a separate meaning to the single flag T. That signal use should not be confused with saying…
A spar used to position the windward clew or guy of a symmetric spinnaker away from the mast. Its inboard end attaches to a mast fitting and its outboard end carries the guy or brace. A topping lift supports it, a foreguy or downhaul controls upward movement, and these controls establish height and angle for…
A narrow projection of sand, shingle or other sediment extending from the shore into the water. A spit forms through the transport and deposition of material by waves and currents and remains attached to land at one end. Its outer end may curve or develop shoals, and parts of it can be exposed, awash or…
A permanent or semi-permanent rope termination or join formed by interweaving, burying or otherwise integrating the rope’s elements. Eye, short, long and end-to-end splices use methods specific to laid rope, double braid, single braid or high-modulus fibre. A correctly designed splice can retain more rope strength and create less bulk than a knot, but efficiency…
A lightweight performance-oriented sailing boat designed for high speed, responsive handling and competitive sailing. Sportsboats commonly use a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio, asymmetric spinnaker, retractable bowsprit and a keel or centreboard, with crew weight contributing strongly to stability. Size, cabin provision, ballast and class rules vary, so the term does not define one regulated design category…
A folding or fixed canopy over a companionway or forward cockpit area that deflects spray, wind and rain. Often called a dodger in North American usage, it normally consists of fabric and transparent panels supported by a metal frame. Its coverage, handholds, windows and ability to fold vary, and it may connect to a cockpit…
A compression strut projecting from a mast to deflect and support a shroud or stay. Spreaders increase the angle between mast and rigging so shroud tension can support the mast more effectively. They may be straight or swept, fixed or articulated, and arranged in one or several sets according to the rig. Their roots, tips,…
The difference in height between mean high water springs and mean low water springs. It represents the average tidal range around spring tides at a particular standard port, derived from observations rather than from one individual high and low water. Spring ranges are generally greater than neap ranges because solar and lunar tidal influences reinforce…
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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