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 independent unit of the UK Department for Transport that investigates marine accidents to improve safety and prevent recurrence. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigates qualifying accidents involving UK vessels worldwide and vessels in UK territorial waters. It publishes reports, identifies causal and contributing factors, and may issue safety recommendations. Its purpose is safety learning,…
The three statutory bodies providing general aids to marine navigation around the United Kingdom and Ireland. They are Trinity House, the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, commonly known as Irish Lights. Their respective areas cover England and Wales with the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and…
The General Lighthouse Authority responsible for marine aids to navigation around the island of Ireland and its adjacent seas and islands. Irish Lights provides and maintains offshore and coastal lights, buoys, beacons and related services across both jurisdictions on the island, and oversees local aids within its statutory remit. It cooperates with Trinity House and…
The General Lighthouse Authority responsible for aids to navigation in Scotland and the Isle of Man. The Northern Lighthouse Board provides and maintains lighthouses, buoys, beacons and associated systems in its area and oversees many local aids maintained by other bodies. It works with Trinity House and Irish Lights through the General Lighthouse Authorities. Published…
The General Lighthouse Authority responsible for aids to navigation in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Trinity House provides and maintains lighthouses, buoys, beacons and related aids in its area and inspects local aids maintained by other authorities. It is also a maritime charity and a Deep Sea Pilotage Authority. Its statutory aids-to-navigation role…
A mnemonic stating that easterly compass error is added when converting a compass direction towards true. “Compass Add East for True” forms CADET. Starting with a compass bearing or heading, apply deviation to obtain magnetic, then variation to obtain true; easterly corrections are added and westerly corrections subtracted under the usual signed-angle convention. The reverse…
An International Code of Signals flag meaning “I have a diver down; keep well clear at slow speed” when flown alone. Code flag Alpha is vertically divided white and blue, with a swallow-tailed blue fly. A vessel engaged in diving operations displays it where it can best be seen when the flag is an appropriate…
A unit of length equal to six feet, or 1.8288 metres, traditionally used for water depth and cable length. Older charts and sounding records may show depths in fathoms, sometimes with additional feet. Modern charts commonly use metres, and the chart’s unit and vertical datum must always be checked before using a depth. One fathom…
To balance sails and helm so a sailing vessel makes little headway and lies relatively steady. A common method backs the headsail, eases or reefs the mainsail and puts the helm to oppose the vessel’s tendency to turn. The vessel normally drifts slowly to leeward and may fore-reach rather than stop completely. Heaving-to can provide…
To depart on a voyage, or more literally to hoist and trim sails for sailing. Historically the phrase referred to setting a vessel’s sails as part of getting under way. It now commonly describes the start of any sea voyage, including one made by a powered vessel. Before departure, the vessel should be prepared for…
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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