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 standard spoken code word for the letter E in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “ECK-oh” and is used to spell names, call signs and other information clearly over marine radio. The same standard word is used in the NATO phonetic alphabet. Echo is also associated with International Code of Signals flag…
An instrument that measures water depth by timing sound pulses reflected from the seabed. A transducer sends a pulse through the water and receives the returning echo. The instrument uses the elapsed time and an assumed speed of sound in water to calculate and display a depth, often as a numerical value and a scrolling…
The measurement of water depth using the travel time of a reflected sound pulse. The pulse is transmitted towards the seabed and its echo is detected after travelling down and back. An echo sounder converts that elapsed time into a depth using an assumed speed of sound through the water. An echo sounding is an…
An official vector chart database issued by or under government authority for use in an Electronic Chart Display and Information System. Usually abbreviated ENC, it has standardised content, structure and format conforming to International Hydrographic Organization standards. Its geo-referenced objects can be queried and selectively portrayed, allowing ECDIS to perform route monitoring and safety checks…
A registered maritime distress beacon that transmits a 406 MHz alert for detection through the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. Usually abbreviated EPIRB, it sends a digitally coded identity and may transmit encoded position from an internal or connected navigation receiver. The alert is routed through the international system to the appropriate rescue coordination authorities; a separate…
A maritime flag showing a vessel’s nationality or state service. Civil, state and naval ensigns may have different designs and eligibility rules within the same country. The ensign appropriate to the vessel is normally worn at the stern or another authorised position and identifies its flag state rather than its current location. Display requirements, permitted…
A plotted position obtained by advancing a known position and applying estimated effects such as tidal stream and leeway. Usually abbreviated EP, it begins with a fix or another accepted position, then uses course steered, speed through the water and elapsed time together with the best available estimates of external movement. In traditional UK chartwork…
The predicted date and time at which a vessel will reach a stated position, destination or operational point. Usually abbreviated ETA, it is calculated from remaining distance and expected progress, with allowances for route, speed changes, weather, current, traffic, pilotage, locks, port instructions and other foreseeable delays. The stated time zone and the point that…
A fore-and-aft trim condition in which a vessel’s draught is the same forward and aft at the specified reference points. A vessel trimmed by the bow or stern is not on an even keel. The expression concerns longitudinal trim and does not by itself mean that the vessel has no list, that the deck or…
A loop formed in the end of a rope by splicing the rope back into its standing part. In laid rope, individual strands are tucked in a prescribed sequence; braided, double-braid and high-modulus ropes use construction-specific methods. The eye may be formed around a thimble to protect it and maintain bend radius at a shackle…
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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