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.Compelled or requisitioned for duty, especially when people or resources are urgently required. In maritime history, pressing most often refers to the compulsory recruitment of men for naval service under legal or asserted state authority. Vessels and material may also be requisitioned in wartime or emergency, but that is a related rather than identical process….
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…
Pressed into service once meant being dragged off to sea whether you liked it or not. No warning, no choice, just a fast trip from the pub to a warship. Today it means helping a mate move a sofa. Same phrase, very different stakes.
A naval pipe call ordering off-duty personnel below or signalling quiet and lights out. Orders aboard naval ships were traditionally transmitted by distinctive notes sounded on a boatswain’s call. “Pipe down” came to be associated with the end of the day’s activities and the requirement for silence. In everyday speech it now means to become…
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…
An expression meaning to be in serious disagreement or conflict. A loggerhead was historically a long-handled iron tool with a bulbous end that could be heated, including for warming pitch aboard ships. The idea of people using such tools against one another is a proposed explanation for the idiom, but the specific story is not…
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…
An expression meaning open, honest and free from concealment or deception. The expression is commonly linked to conduct visible above a vessel’s deck rather than hidden below. Historical usage supports the sense of something being in full view, although simplified stories about pirates or concealed crew should not be treated as a single proven origin….
The challenging yacht club that agrees the next America’s Cup match conditions with the defending yacht club under the Deed of Gift. Once a valid challenge is accepted, the Challenger of Record and the Defender negotiate the protocol governing the event, including competition arrangements and the process for selecting the final challenger when multiple clubs…
An expression meaning to feel sad, dispirited or melancholy. A frequently repeated maritime story connects the phrase with blue flags or markings displayed when a ship lost its captain or an officer during a voyage. Reliable evidence for that specific origin is weak, and the association of blue with sadness appears in English sources outside…
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...
Our 1% commitment
My Sailing Course contributes 1% of every Stripe payment to help promising carbon removal technologies move from the lab into the field.
Stripe Climate commitments fund the development and purchase of carbon removal. They are not carbon offsets or credits attached to an individual order.
Welcome to My Sailing Course. Where's this adventure going to take you?
Ahoy there, Visiting Sailor! Ask us anything—whether you need help choosing a course, have a sailing question, or want to speak to the crew.
Scan with your phone to open the My Sailing Course WhatsApp service. You can review or edit the prepared message before sending it.
Your conversation stays with My Sailing Course so our Support team can respond securely.
Enter at least two characters to explore.
Welcome back aboard. Sign in with the email address connected to your My Sailing Course account.
Your account details are encrypted in transit and your password is never displayed or stored by this form. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.
Join free to save your favourites, unlock bonus learning resources and keep everything nautical close at hand.
Join the My Sailing Course community with one secure account for your courses, profile and support.
We've successfully created your account. Hold station for a few moments and you will be returned to the page.
Already have an account? Sign in
Enter your account email and we will send you a secure reset link.
This reset link is invalid or has expired.
Your new password is saved securely. We are confirming it across My Sailing Course before you sign in.
Please keep this window open. It will change to the sign-in form as soon as every service confirms the update.
