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.A prescribed geometric shape displayed by day to indicate a vessel’s status, operation or restriction under the collision regulations. Balls, cones, diamonds and cylinders, normally black, are displayed singly or in specified combinations and orientations. They can indicate circumstances such as anchoring, being aground, not under command, restricted manoeuvrability, fishing, sailing while also under power…
A line or tackle used to control the position and trim of a sail’s clew or boom. Headsail sheets normally attach to or control the clew directly, while a mainsheet commonly controls the boom through blocks, a traveller or bridle. Easing or trimming changes angle of attack, twist and load, but the exact effects depend…
The Met Office marine forecast for the named sea areas around the British Isles. It contains gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and forecasts of wind direction and force, weather and visibility for each area; sea state is also included in the operational product. It is issued on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard…
A commonly used or formally designated route or corridor for vessel traffic. The informal phrase can describe a track used regularly by commercial shipping, while formal routeing measures include traffic lanes within a traffic separation scheme, deep-water routes, recommended tracks and two-way routes. Each has charted limits and specific navigational implications. A shipping lane is…
Neat, orderly and properly prepared for safe and efficient use. A shipshape vessel has equipment correctly stowed, lines and working areas clear, and routine arrangements maintained so that the vessel and crew can operate without avoidable disorder. The expression reflects the discipline needed where space is limited and loose gear can quickly become dangerous. The…
A shallow area or submerged elevation of the seabed that may pose a navigation hazard. A shoal may consist of sand, gravel, mud, rock or coral and can lie near shore or offshore. Whether it is dangerous depends on charted and actual depth, tidal height, vessel draught, squat, waves and the required under-keel clearance. Currents…
An elastic cord with a rubber core protected by a woven outer sheath. Also called bungee cord, it is used to retain light equipment, tension covers and nets, and provide a flexible return or restraint where some movement is useful. The sheath protects the elastic strands and limits extension, while hooks or other end fittings…
To reduce the sail area set or exposed to the wind. Sail can be shortened by reefing, partially rolling a sail designed for reefing, lowering or furling one sail, or replacing it with a smaller sail. The aim may be to control heel, loads, speed, balance or crew workload rather than only to cope with…
Standing rigging that supports a mast primarily against transverse loads. Shrouds lead from the mast or spreaders to chainplates or other hull attachments and may be arranged as cap shrouds, intermediates, diagonals or lowers. They can be wire, rod or high-modulus fibre and work with stays, spreaders, mast structure and the opposite shrouds as one…
The narrow deck area running along the side of a vessel’s cabin or coachroof. Side decks provide a route between the cockpit and foredeck and may carry chainplates, tracks, cleats, stanchions, ventilators and other fittings. Their width and layout vary greatly and can influence how safely crew can move along the vessel. Handholds, guard rails…
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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