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 point of sail with the true wind coming from aft of the beam but not directly astern. It lies between a beam reach and a run. Exact angle ranges vary between teaching schemes and vessel types, while the apparent wind experienced aboard normally lies farther forward than the true-wind direction and changes with boat…
A vertical partition that divides a vessel’s interior into separate compartments. Bulkheads help organise the vessel’s internal space and may also contribute to the strength of the hull. Depending on their construction and purpose, they may be structural, watertight, fire-resisting or simply partitions around accommodation and machinery spaces. It is therefore inaccurate to assume that…
A plug used to close a drain, opening or small unwanted hole in a vessel. Purpose-made bungs or drain plugs are fitted to openings such as dinghy drains and must be in place before launching whenever the design requires them. Their material and shape vary according to the opening they are intended to seal. Tapered…
A sleeping berth aboard a vessel, often built into the accommodation. Bunks may be single, double, stacked, pipe-framed or formed by converting seating. Offshore arrangements can include lee cloths, boards or shaped cushions to help retain an occupant as the vessel heels and moves. A usable sea berth needs ventilation, dry bedding, secure structure and…
A floating marker or device used for navigation, mooring, measurement or another designated purpose. Most navigational and mooring buoys are secured to a charted or defined position, while some scientific or tracking buoys drift. Shape, colour, topmark, light and sound can identify the function of an aid-to-navigation buoy under the applicable buoyage system. A buoy…
A wearable flotation device that assists a conscious person in remaining afloat and swimming. Buoyancy aids are commonly used for dinghy sailing, paddlesports and other activities where the wearer expects to enter the water and rescue is close. They are generally designed for active users and should not be assumed to turn an unconscious wearer…
A small identifying flag or pennant, commonly representing a yacht club or sailing organisation. A burgee is often triangular or swallow-tailed and carries the colours or emblem of the organisation it represents. Members fly it to show their affiliation, subject to the organisation’s rules and normal flag etiquette. Traditionally, a yacht-club burgee is flown from…
An enclosed compartment aboard a vessel used for accommodation, work or another assigned purpose. A cabin may be a sleeping space for crew or passengers, a wheelhouse, an office or another enclosed room depending on vessel type and usage. On small craft, the word often refers generally to the sheltered interior rather than one private…
A traditional short-distance unit at sea, now commonly treated as one-tenth of a nautical mile. Using the international nautical mile, one cable is therefore 185.2 metres. Historical definitions varied by country and practice, and the frequently quoted 100 fathoms equals 182.88 metres rather than exactly one-tenth of the modern nautical mile. The context and standard…
An assigned sequence of letters or letters and figures used to identify a radio station or vessel in communications. For ships, the call sign is normally assigned by the responsible national administration from international call-sign series allocated under ITU arrangements. It is used in voice and digital radio services to identify the station unambiguously. A…
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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