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.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…
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…
A report confirming that a line or other potential obstruction is free and no longer holding the vessel. During departure, a crew member may report that a mooring line is “clear” once it has been released, recovered aboard and is no longer able to foul the propeller, rudder or another fitting. The report gives the…
A buoyant structure used to support a floating landing stage, bridge, platform or vessel hull. In a marina, “pontoon” commonly means the floating walkway alongside which boats berth, including its finger berths and access bridge. The same word also describes individual flotation units beneath catamarans, work platforms and temporary bridges. Pontoon height and movement change…
A sheltered berthing facility for recreational and small commercial craft, normally organised around pontoons, quays or mooring berths. Facilities vary but may include shore power, water, fuel, waste disposal, toilets, showers, repairs, storage and launching. A marina may lie within a harbour or occupy a separate basin protected by breakwaters or locks. Entry, speed, radio,…
The inboard end of a cable or line, especially the end secured aboard a vessel. For an anchor cable, the bitter end is secured in the chain locker by an arrangement intended to hold it in normal use while allowing emergency release where fitted. The term is also used more generally for the last end…
Detailed navigation in confined, coastal or harbour waters using a pre-planned sequence of references, limits and actions. A pilotage plan can use visual marks, transits, clearing bearings, soundings, radar ranges, GNSS positions, buoyage, tidal windows, courses, speeds and abort points. It is prepared at a scale and tempo that supports continuous monitoring as hazards and…
A hitch formed by two successive turns around an object with the rope crossing between them. It is quick to tie in the end or bight of a line and is useful for temporary attachment where the load remains reasonably steady and in a suitable direction. Fender lines are a common light-duty use, although a…
A line used to move or secure a vessel by hauling from a fixed point or another vessel. Warping can move a vessel along a quay, through a confined space or towards an anchor, buoy or shore point using capstans, winches or manual purchase. In some usage a warp is simply a mooring or towing…
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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