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 secondary machine, system or service that supports a vessel’s primary operation. On a sailing vessel, “the auxiliary” commonly means an engine providing propulsion when sails are unsuitable or additional control is needed. On other vessels, auxiliary machinery includes generators, pumps, compressors, thrusters and systems serving functions other than the main propulsion plant. Auxiliary does…
At or just below the water surface, so that water washes over the object or feature. The term may describe a low deck or a natural feature such as a rock. On a nautical chart, an awash feature is one whose relationship to the water surface varies with tide, waves or water level, so the…
A short inner forestay that supports the forward part of a sailing vessel’s mast. A baby stay normally runs from a point on the forward face of the mast to a fitting on the foredeck, aft of the main forestay. It helps control mast bend and supports the lower or middle section of the mast…
For the wind direction to change anticlockwise when viewed on a compass. For example, a change from north through northwest towards west is backing. The opposite change, clockwise around the compass, is called veering. Backing describes the direction of change, not its cause, speed or forecast significance. Local effects, weather systems and frontal passages can…
Standing rigging leading aft from a mast to support it against forward loads. A permanent backstay commonly leads from or near the masthead to the stern area. On some rigs its tension can be adjusted to control forestay tension and mast bend, affecting headsail shape and mainsail trim. Not every sailing rig has a fixed…
To remove water from inside a boat using a bucket, scoop or similar container. Bailing is common in dinghies, tenders and open boats after rain, spray, a capsize or water shipped over the side. A hand bailer may also supplement a pump or self-bailer when water accumulates faster than the installed system removes it. Removing…
A container or fitted device used to remove water from a boat. A hand bailer may be a purpose-made scoop, bucket or other suitable container. Some small craft also have self-bailers that use the boat’s movement through the water to drain water from the hull. A manual bailer remains useful when pumps or automatic drainage…
A black ball-shaped day signal used alone or in combinations to show a vessel’s status. Depending on its number and arrangement with other shapes, a ball can contribute to signals for conditions such as being at anchor, aground, not under command or constrained by draught. The complete display must be interpreted rather than treating every…
Weight carried or built into a vessel to improve stability, trim or draught. Ballast may be fixed, as in a sailing yacht’s keel, or variable, such as water held in ballast tanks. Its position is as important as its mass: low ballast generally increases resistance to heeling, while poorly positioned or shifting weight can adversely…
A ridge of sand, gravel or other sediment that creates shallow water, often across or near a river or harbour entrance. Depth over a bar can change with tide, waves, river flow and movement of sediment. Waves may become steeper or break as they pass over the shallower water, making some harbour entrances dangerous in…
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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