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.The direction along a meridian towards the geographic North Pole. True north is the reference for true courses and bearings on most nautical charts and differs from magnetic north by local magnetic variation. Grid north on a projected chart or map can also differ slightly from true north except along selected lines. A GNSS receiver…
The wind velocity relative to the Earth’s surface rather than relative to a moving vessel. Apparent wind is the vector combination of true wind and the vessel’s velocity through the chosen reference frame. Marine instruments calculate true wind using measured apparent wind plus speed and heading or course data, and their result depends on whether…
The status of a vessel that is not at anchor, made fast to the shore or aground. Under way is a defined collision-regulation status and does not require the vessel to be moving through the water. A vessel stopped and drifting can be under way but not making way, while one tied to a buoy…
The international radiotelephony spelling word for the letter U. It is used to spell call signs, identifiers and words clearly over voice radio. Accepted prescribed spoken forms are represented as ‘YOU NEE FORM’ or ‘OO NEE FORM’. The International Code of Signals assigns a separate meaning to the single flag U. That signal use should…
A tackle, strut or powered control that restrains or adjusts a boom’s vertical movement. Known as a kicking strap in British usage, it normally leads between the lower mast region and the boom. Tension controls leech shape and twist, particularly when the mainsheet no longer pulls strongly downward, while a rigid vang can also support…
The heel angle at which a vessel’s righting lever becomes zero after remaining positive at smaller angles. Beyond the AVS, the vessel’s intact hydrostatic stability tends to continue the capsize until another stable attitude is reached, often inverted, rather than return it upright. The value is read from the righting-arm or GZ curve for a…
The angular difference at a location between true north and magnetic north. Also called magnetic declination, it is named east or west according to the direction of magnetic north from true north. Charts state a value for a reference year and an annual change because the Earth’s magnetic field evolves over time and varies geographically….
A digital chart whose features are stored as individually encoded points, lines, areas and attributes. Vector data allow the display system to select layers, interrogate objects, change presentation by scale and apply safety settings or alarms. An official Electronic Navigational Chart is a vector chart produced to IHO standards by or under a government hydrographic…
The component of a vessel’s velocity in a specified target direction. In sailing, VMG often means progress directly upwind or downwind and combines boat speed with the angle to the true-wind axis. Navigation instruments may instead label speed towards a waypoint as VMG, so the reference direction must be identified. Optimising VMG does not always…
The radio-frequency band from 30 to 300 megahertz, including the maritime mobile channels around 156 to 174 megahertz. Marine VHF supports voice, digital selective calling, AIS and other services on assigned frequencies and channel plans. Propagation is mainly line of sight, so antenna height, terrain, atmospheric conditions, transmitter power and receiver installation strongly affect range….
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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