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 mooring line led approximately at right angles to a vessel’s fore-and-aft line to restrain sideways movement. Breast lines hold the vessel alongside but provide little control of fore-and-aft movement, which is chiefly the role of spring lines. Their leads and loads must allow for tide, surge, passing traffic and changes in freeboard.
A compartment in which anchor chain is stowed below the windlass or chain pipe. It should allow chain to self-stow as far as practicable and provide drainage, access and a means of securing the bitter end that can be released in an emergency. Wet, muddy chain and restricted access make ventilation, inspection and safe entry…
A recognised signal indicating grave and imminent danger and a need for immediate assistance. Maritime distress signals include specified radio alerts and calls, visual signals, pyrotechnics and other internationally recognised forms. They must not be used casually, and any received distress indication should be treated according to applicable search-and-rescue and radio procedures.
The process of arranging a knot’s parts neatly in their intended positions before it is fully tightened. Correct dressing removes unintended crossings, distributes load as designed and makes inspection easier. A poorly dressed knot may capsize, jam unevenly or lose strength even when the nominal knot has been tied correctly.
A fore-and-aft stay fitted abaft the main forestay to support the mast or carry an inner headsail. It may be permanent or removable and is commonly used for a staysail or storm jib. Its load, attachment points and interaction with running backstays or swept spreaders depend on the rig design and should follow the designer’s…
The direction of an object measured clockwise from a vessel’s heading. It is normally expressed from 000° directly ahead through 090° on the starboard beam, 180° astern and 270° on the port beam. Adding relative bearing to the vessel’s true or magnetic heading, with the result reduced to 000°–359°, gives a bearing in the same…
The internationally agreed code words used to spell letters clearly during voice radio communication. Words such as Alfa, Bravo and Charlie reduce misunderstanding when reception is weak, accents differ or a call sign must be copied exactly. Maritime operators should use the prescribed pronunciations and the appropriate spoken forms for numerals.
Five interdependent controls used to keep a sailing dinghy balanced and performing efficiently. They are commonly taught as sail setting, centreboard or daggerboard position, boat balance, boat trim and course made good. The controls are adjusted continuously for wind strength, point of sail and sea state rather than treated as a fixed checklist.
An area that may be swept by a mooring line or fitting if a heavily loaded line parts or pulls free. The shape of the danger area depends on the line’s lead, elasticity, attachment points and nearby fittings, and it may not be a simple straight line. Crew should keep out of likely recoil paths,…
The seabed material in which an anchor must dig in and resist movement. Mud, sand, gravel, weed, rock and mixed bottoms provide very different holding characteristics, and performance also depends on anchor type, scope and how the anchor is set. Charts, pilotage information and local knowledge help assess a berth, but the vessel’s position must…
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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