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.Breaking wave crests whose entrained air and foam appear white against the surrounding water. Also called whitecaps, they form when waves become steep enough to break under wind, opposing current, shallow-water or crossing-sea effects. Their increasing frequency is one visual cue used in empirical wind and sea-state descriptions. White horses do not correspond to one…
A mechanical device that applies, holds or controls tension in rope, wire or cable using a rotating drum or gypsy and gearing. Sailing winches commonly use a self-tailing or plain drum around which the line takes turns without being permanently stored. Other winches store wire or rope on a reel and may be manual, electric,…
A removable or captive lever used to turn a manually driven winch and select its available gearing. Locking and non-locking handles engage a socket in the winch top, and changing rotation direction can select a different gear on two-speed winches. Length affects leverage but also clearance and the consequences of kickback. The handle should be…
The aerodynamic force or effective exposed area through which wind acts on a vessel and its equipment. Hull topsides, superstructure, rig, sails, covers, deck cargo and people contribute according to projected area, shape, height and wind angle. Windage affects leeway, low-speed manoeuvring, anchoring and mooring loads even when the vessel is not moving through the…
A powered or manual machine used to heave, veer and control an anchor rode. A chain gypsy engages calibrated chain, while a warping drum handles rope and a combined unit may manage a rope-chain rode. Windlasses may have horizontal or vertical shafts and use electric, hydraulic or manual power with a clutch and brake. The…
In the direction from which the wind is coming, or on the side facing the incoming wind. Windward is the opposite of leeward and can describe a vessel’s side, another object’s position or progress towards the source of the wind. The windward side is not necessarily physically higher except when heel makes it so. The…
The global geodetic reference system used by GPS to express positions and related Earth measurements. WGS 84 defines an Earth-centred coordinate frame, reference ellipsoid, gravity model and associated conventions. Modern GNSS positions and many nautical charts are compatible with it, but chart notes must be checked because older or local-datum charts can require a position…
The international radiotelephony spelling word for the letter X. It is used to spell call signs, identifiers and words clearly over voice radio. Its prescribed spoken form is represented as ‘ECKS RAY’. The International Code of Signals assigns a separate meaning to the single flag X. That signal use should not be confused with saying…
A vessel used principally for recreation, cruising or sport rather than commercial carriage or working service. A yacht may be sailing or motor-powered and can range from a small cabin craft to a very large vessel. The word describes use and social or regulatory context more than one hull form, size or level of luxury….
The international radiotelephony spelling word for the letter Y. It is used to spell call signs, identifiers and words clearly over voice radio. Its prescribed spoken form is represented as ‘YANG KEY’. The International Code of Signals assigns a separate meaning to the single flag Y. That signal use should not be confused with saying…
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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