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.Unwanted entry of water into a vessel, compartment or piece of equipment. Sources include hull damage, leaking fittings, failed hoses, downflooding and rain or spray. Early detection, isolation, pumping and investigation are vital because free surface and progressive flooding can rapidly threaten stability and systems.
A local rotating or reversing current formed where tidal flow separates around a headland, bank, structure or channel edge. Its direction and timing may differ from the main stream and change through the tidal cycle. Eddies can assist or hinder pilotage but should be used only with current local information and observation.
A calculated forecast of tidal height or stream for a specified place and time. Predictions use harmonic or numerical methods based largely on astronomical forcing and historical observations. Actual conditions can differ because of wind, pressure, river flow and local changes, so real-time information may be needed.
Marine flares or other pyrotechnic signals that have passed their marked expiry date. They must not be relied upon as required distress equipment and can become unstable or unreliable. Storage and disposal must follow the authorised local scheme; they should never be fired for practice unless part of an approved event.
A defined one-way route for vessels within a traffic-separation scheme. Vessels using a lane proceed in its general direction and normally join or leave at a small angle, while crossing vessels cross as nearly as practicable at right angles to traffic flow. The full collision-regulation provisions and charted scheme apply.
A device that converts one form of energy or physical quantity into another usable signal. Marine transducers include echo-sounder elements converting electrical pulses to sound and back, and sensors for speed, pressure or temperature. Installation, calibration, fouling and acoustic or electrical interference affect accuracy.
A correction applied between a sensor’s physical reference point and the datum in which its displayed value is required. An echo sounder may be offset to show depth below the transducer, keel or waterline. The selected convention and sign must be documented because an incorrect offset can create a dangerous depth error.
A position line moved forward or backward to a common time using the vessel’s estimated motion. It allows a running fix to be formed from observations taken at different times. Accuracy depends on the original observation and on the course, speed, current and leeway assumed during the transfer.
A stern ending in a substantially flat surface across the vessel’s after end. The transom may support an outboard, boarding platform, rudder fittings or exhausts and can provide interior volume. Shape and immersion influence resistance, following-sea behaviour and drainage.
A sliding fitting that carries a sheet block or other control along a traveller track. On a mainsheet traveller it changes the boom’s lateral position without necessarily changing sheet tension. The car, stops, control lines and bearings must handle dynamic loads and remain free of obstructions.
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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