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.This rule applies only to power-driven vessels when they come together head-on. Any vessel can be power-driven; for example, a passenger ferry is power-driven in open water. A sailing yacht using an engine is power-driven, and a fishing boat not engaged in fishing is also a power-driven vessel. Power-driven vessels head-on Neither is defined as…
When two power-driven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel. This rule applies only when two power-driven vessels come…
Rule 17 covers the obligations of the other vessel in the collision situation. Whilst the give-way vessel is expected to alter course and take necessary action to avoid a collision, the stand-on vessel has obligations, too. The primary one is that it ‘shall’ keep her course and speed. It would be unfair for the stand-on…
This rule starts Part C: Lights & Shapes and introduces the overarching principles of when we should display appropriate shapes or lights based on the rest of the section. It also tells us that this part’s rules apply in all weather. Day shapes By day, vessels that need to declare their definition use shapes. This…
Rules in this Section apply to vessels in sight of one another. This rule introduces the section and clarifies that everything in Part B—Section II is concerned with what happens when we are in sight of another vessel (specifically, what actions should be taken when we can see another vessel).
Traffic separation schemes (TSSs) are marked on charts and usually have no physical boundaries, although buoys may mark particular points, often with special marks. While no one is obligated to use them, and vessels under 20m are not explicitly banned, anyone entering or in a TSS must abide by its rules. Many skippers choose to…
This rule outlines how to take action, not what to do. Primarily focussed on the give-way vessel; however, both vessels in a collision situation have responsibilities, so the rule applies whether give-way or stand-on. It can be summarised by the following: Positive action Any action taken to avoid a collision should be ‘positive’. When referring…
Well, you know what they say about assumptions? This rule confirms that we cannot make any and assume the worst unless we explicitly know otherwise. It also reaffirms some wording in Rule 5 – Look out, particularly the requirement to use Radar (if fitted), but not rely on it if it produces unverifiable results. It…
Every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within a distance appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions. In determining a safe speed the following factors shall be among those taken into account: Rule 6 is self-explanatory,…
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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