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.Making progress to windward by sailing successive close-hauled legs on alternating tacks. A sailing vessel cannot normally sail directly into the wind. To reach a destination to windward, it sails close-hauled on one tack, turns its bow through the wind and continues close-hauled on the other. The resulting zigzag course is known as beating to…
A numbered scale from 0 to 12 that relates wind-force descriptions to defined wind-speed ranges and observable effects. Force 0 is calm and force 12 is hurricane force, with named forces and speed bands between them. Descriptions of effects on the sea or land allow wind force to be estimated when a reliable instrument reading…
In or into the enclosed spaces beneath a vessel’s exposed or principal deck. The expression may refer generally to accommodation, storage, machinery and service spaces within the hull. The number and arrangement of decks vary, so it does not identify a particular compartment or imply that every interior space lies below one universal “main deck”….
The forward-left area or direction from a vessel when looking towards the bow. “Port” identifies the vessel’s left side when facing forward, while “bow” identifies its forward part. A report that an object or vessel is “on the port bow” therefore places it in the forward port quarter relative to the observer. The expression provides…
A mooring line leading from the stern area of a vessel to a shore fitting or other secure point. It helps control the stern’s position at a berth and is normally used with bow, breast and spring lines as appropriate. Its lead determines which movement it restrains, so a poorly positioned or over-tight stern line…
A cooking appliance designed or installed for use aboard a vessel. Marine stoves may use gas, diesel, paraffin, alcohol, electricity or another approved energy source. Some are gimballed so that the cooking surface remains nearer level as the vessel heels, while pot restraints help prevent cookware moving. Installation, ventilation, fuel isolation, flame-failure protection and safe…
A small craft used to carry people, stores or equipment between a parent vessel and shore or another vessel. A tender may be a rigid dinghy, inflatable boat, rigid inflatable boat or other launch carried aboard, towed or kept nearby. Its size, propulsion, load capacity and equipment should suit the operating area and the parent…
The International Code of Signals numeral pennant representing zero. It is one of ten distinct numeral pennants used to express figures within a flag signal. Its meaning depends on the complete group and the procedure under which the signal is being made. The pennant is a visual signal and is distinct from the spoken radiotelephony…
The International Code of Signals numeral pennant representing one. It is one of ten distinct numeral pennants used to express figures within a flag signal. Its meaning depends on the complete group and the procedure under which the signal is being made. The pennant is a visual signal and is distinct from the spoken radiotelephony…
The standard maritime radiotelephony pronunciation of the digit two. It is spoken as “TOO” when transmitting figures clearly by voice. Standard pronunciations reduce misunderstandings caused by noise, weak signals, accent or language differences and are separate from the letter spelling alphabet. The International Code of Signals also has a numeral pennant for two, shown on…
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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