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 calculated separation between a vessel’s current position and a selected waypoint. A GNSS receiver or chartplotter normally updates this value as the vessel moves and may use a great-circle, rhumb-line or other calculation configured by the system. It is often shown in nautical miles and contributes to time-to-go or estimated-arrival calculations. The value is…
A two-pointed hinged instrument used to transfer and measure distances on a chart. The points can span two positions, step a distance along a line or transfer a measurement to the chart’s distance scale. On a Mercator chart, distance is commonly read from the latitude scale at approximately the same latitude as the measurement, not…
A raised screen or fabric cover that shelters a cockpit or companionway from wind and spray. On many sailing yachts, a dodger consists of a framed canvas or synthetic cover with clear panels fitted ahead of the cockpit. In British usage, this type of folding cover is often called a sprayhood; “dodger” can also describe…
An isolated marine structure used for mooring, berthing guidance or protection. A dolphin may be formed from a group of piles, a rigid column or a caisson. Mooring dolphins carry fittings to which lines are secured, while breasting dolphins provide a contact face that helps position a vessel alongside a berth. Protective dolphins can shield…
To add mooring lines or duplicate selected leads to increase security or redundancy. A vessel may double up before strong wind, heavy wash, a long unattended period or another expected increase in load. Additional lines can share loads and provide backup if a line chafes, slips or parts, provided they lead to suitable vessel and…
To lower or take in a sail, or in another context to extinguish a light or flame. Dousing a sail means removing its driving effect and bringing it under control, often before harbour entry, a sail change or worsening conditions. The method differs for a mainsail, headsail and spinnaker and need not always be rapid….
A line or tackle used to pull a sail, spar or fitting downwards or towards a lower control point. Its function depends on the rig. A mainsail downhaul can tension the luff or pull a sliding gooseneck down; a jib downhaul can help lower the sail; and other downhauls control poles, tack lines or retrieval…
In the direction that a river or other watercourse normally flows. Downstream is generally towards the lower reaches or mouth, while upstream is towards the source. The terms describe the watercourse’s normal geographical direction and are useful when identifying banks, traffic direction and the relative position of features. In tidal rivers, the instantaneous current can…
In or towards the direction to which the wind is blowing. A position downwind lies on the lee side of the reference point. A vessel travelling downwind is making progress generally in the same direction as the true wind, although its exact point of sail may be a broad reach or a run rather than…
To move across the seabed because an anchor is no longer holding the vessel securely. An anchor may drag because it has not set, the holding ground is poor, insufficient scope has been used, or wind, current and wave loads exceed the holding available. Dragging can be gradual and may not be obvious from the…
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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