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.The applied science of measuring and describing the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal waters, lakes and rivers for navigation and other marine purposes. Hydrographic work determines depth, seabed character, coastline, hazards, tides, currents and the positions of relevant features. Surveys combine methods such as echo sounding, positioning, water-level observation, sonar and remote sensing, with…
A rotating component with blades or vanes that transfers energy between a shaft and a fluid. In centrifugal pumps the impeller accelerates fluid so the casing can convert velocity into pressure. Flexible-vane impellers are widely used in engine raw-water and utility pumps, while propellers and waterjet impellers apply related principles but have distinct arrangements and…
The approximately triangular area bounded by the mast, forestay and foredeck of a sailing vessel. The foretriangle defines the space in which a conventional headsail is set. Its principal dimensions are commonly represented by I, the vertical height from the relevant deck or sheer reference to the forestay attachment, and J, the horizontal distance from…
Aligned with or running approximately parallel to a vessel’s centreline. The expression describes an orientation along the length of the vessel rather than across it. Fore-and-aft movement, structure or rigging therefore runs generally between bow and stern, while an athwartships direction runs from side to side. It is also used in sailing terminology. A fore-and-aft…
The exposed deck area in the forward part of a vessel. Its extent and equipment depend on vessel design. It may carry anchoring and mooring gear, hatches, headsail controls, deck fittings or working space, but these are common uses rather than part of the definition. The foredeck is particularly exposed to spray, breaking water, pitching…
A hatch in the forward part of a vessel’s deck or superstructure. It may provide access, light or ventilation to a forecabin, forepeak, store or other forward compartment. Its exact position, purpose, opening direction and escape function depend on the vessel. A forehatch is highly exposed to water on deck and is not automatically watertight…
The compartment at the extreme forward end of a vessel, inside the bow. The forepeak lies ahead of the main accommodation or working spaces and is commonly used for stowage. On many small craft it contains the anchor chain or cable and may form, or provide access to, the chain locker. Its exact arrangement varies…
A sail set forward of a vessel’s mainmast. On many modern fore-and-aft-rigged sailing boats, the word refers generally to a headsail such as a jib or genoa. The sail is normally set from the forestay or from another stay or spar ahead of the mainmast. Traditional square-rig terminology is more specific: the foresail is the…
Standing rigging leading forward from a mast to support it against aft-directed loads. A forestay may lead from the masthead or a fractional attachment to the bow, stem fitting or bowsprit. A headsail can be hanked to it, set in a foil around it or carried on a separate inner stay, so sail attachment is…
Towards or in the front part of a vessel, in the direction of the bow. Forward may describe direction, as in “move forward”, or position, as in “the forward cabin”. Its opposite aboard is aft, and its meaning remains tied to the vessel even when a person is facing another way. The word does not…
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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