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.Marine navigation has its own secret language, and let’s face it—half of it sounds like someone making things up after too much grog. You’ve got your ‘dead reckoning,’ which isn’t nearly as ominous as it sounds, and ‘bearing,’ which has nothing to do with polar bears but everything to do with pointing the right way. Don’t even get us started on ‘knots’—why measure speed like you’re tying a shoelace? And then there’s ‘fix (not for your engine) and ‘DR’ (spoiler: it’s not a doctor). If you’re baffled, don’t worry—we’re here to help you decipher this nautical code so you can sound like a pro, not a landlubber who’s lost their compass.
An emergency in which a person has fallen or been lost from a vessel into the water. Immediate actions normally include raising the alarm, maintaining a continuous lookout and pointing, marking the position, deploying flotation and manoeuvring for recovery while making appropriate distress or urgency communications. The best recovery method depends on vessel, crew, weather…
The left-hand side of a vessel when facing forward towards the bow. Port and starboard stay fixed to the boat, regardless of which way a person is facing.
A documented plan for navigating a vessel safely from berth to berth or between defined operational limits. It is developed through appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring and considers route, depths, tides, weather, traffic, regulations, reporting, pilotage, contingencies, abort points and the vessel’s capabilities. The plan must remain usable and be monitored throughout the voyage. Changes…
A line on which an observer’s position must lie according to one measured bearing, range, angle or other observation. Examples include a bearing line to a charted object, a radar range circle, a depth contour under suitable conditions or a celestial position line. Two independent LOPs may intersect at a fix, while three can reveal…
A shore-based service that interacts with vessel traffic to improve navigation safety, traffic efficiency and environmental protection in a defined area. Depending on its authority and service level, VTS may provide information, organise traffic and give navigational assistance using AIS, radar, radio, cameras, reports and local sensors. The master remains responsible for safe navigation, while…
The German recreational motor-craft operator licence for vessels within its statutory scope on maritime waterways. The requirement is linked to operation with an engine above the current statutory threshold on designated German sea waterways. It tests rules, navigation, safety and practical powerboat handling but is not limited by an offshore mileage radius in the way…
The German recreational-craft operator licence for vessels within its statutory scope on inland waterways. Whether it is required depends on the waterway, propulsion, engine output, craft and operator age under current German rules. Sailing endorsements or local provisions may apply in particular areas. The licence does not replace CEVNI knowledge, radio certification, vessel documents or…
A voluntary German coastal-skipper certificate for recreational yachts in waters up to 12 nautical miles from the mainland coast. The SKS assesses theory and practical competence in navigation, seamanship, weather, law, safety and yacht handling under sail, power or both, subject to the examination endorsement and current requirements. It is generally an advanced voluntary qualification…
The collective German term for statutory recreational-craft operator licences, principally the inland and sea variants. Sportbootführerschein Binnen applies in its defined inland scope, while Sportbootführerschein See applies on designated maritime waterways. Requirements depend on propulsion, engine output, waterway, age and current German law. It is not one universal licence for every sailing and motor vessel….
A certificate demonstrating pleasure-craft competence in specified categories for use where an authority or operator recognises it. The ICC implements the framework of UNECE Resolution No. 40 through participating national administrations. Its endorsements may cover coastal or inland waters and particular craft or propulsion categories, subject to the issuing country’s rules. It is not a…
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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