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 spar attached to or associated with a mast that controls the foot and position of a sail. On a conventional mainsail the boom extends aft from the mast, supports or tensions the sail’s foot and transfers loads from the mainsheet, vang or kicking strap, outhaul and reefing systems. It pivots across the vessel as…
To hold a headsail out to windward, usually with a pole, when sailing downwind. When a boat is running, the mainsail can shield the headsail from the wind. Holding the headsail’s clew out on the opposite side can keep it filled, creating the arrangement commonly described as goosewinged. A properly rigged whisker pole or spinnaker…
The forward part of a vessel. The bow includes the hull structure at and around the vessel’s forward end, where the port and starboard sides converge or are joined by the stem. Its form varies with intended speed, displacement, seakeeping, cargo or accommodation needs and construction method. Some bows are fine and wave-piercing, others full…
A mooring line leading from the bow area of a vessel to a shore fitting or other secure point. It helps control the bow’s position and is used with stern, breast and spring lines as required. The direction in which it leads determines whether it mainly restrains movement away from the berth, along the berth…
A spring line led from the bow area of a vessel towards a shore point farther aft. Its fore-and-aft lead primarily checks the vessel’s forward movement along the berth. It works with an opposing spring and other mooring lines to control surge, sway and yaw caused by wind, stream, tide or passing traffic. Names such…
A knot that forms a fixed loop which normally does not tighten when loaded. A correctly dressed bowline is widely used to form an eye around a suitable object or to provide a loop in the end of a line. It is often relatively easy to untie after a steady load, although this depends on…
A spar projecting forward from a vessel’s bow to support rigging or the tack of a forward sail. On traditional rigs it may carry forestays and stays for jibs, increasing the foretriangle or spreading the standing-rigging loads. Modern yachts may use a fixed or retractable bowsprit primarily for an asymmetric spinnaker or other reaching sail…
The standard spoken code word for the letter B in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “BRAH-voh” 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. Bravo is also associated with International Code of Signals flag…
A structure built to reduce wave action and shelter a harbour, anchorage or section of coast. Breakwaters may be built from rock, concrete or other materials and can be fixed or, in some settings, floating. By absorbing, reflecting or interrupting waves, they create more sheltered water on their inner side and may also help protect…
A sudden, largely uncontrolled turn that leaves a vessel sharply across its intended course. A sailing yacht may broach when overpowered while reaching or running, causing rapid heel and loss of rudder effectiveness as it turns towards the wind. A power-driven vessel can broach when overtaken or slewed by a following sea, particularly while descending…
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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