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.
A sailing vessel’s tendency to turn towards the wind unless opposed by helm or trim. Weather helm arises from the relationship between aerodynamic force, underwater lateral resistance, heel, hull asymmetry and rudder angle. A small tendency can provide feedback and make the vessel round up if steering is released, but excessive weather helm increases drag…
To break an anchor free of the seabed and raise it until the vessel is no longer anchored by it. The vessel is normally manoeuvred or hauled towards the anchor while the rode is recovered, avoiding excessive side load on the windlass. When the rode is vertical the anchor is short stay; once broken out…
A circular steering control used to command a vessel’s rudder, drive or steering system. Mechanical, cable, chain, hydraulic and electronic systems translate wheel rotation into steering movement. The number of turns, direction, centre indication and feedback vary, and an autopilot can move the steering system without the wheel being handled directly. Free play, stiffness, leaks,…
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…
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…
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 horizontal movement of water associated with the astronomical tide. A tidal stream is described by its set, the direction towards which it flows, and its rate, usually in knots. It may reverse between flood and ebb, rotate continuously or form eddies, and its timing need not coincide with local high and low water. Predicted…
A set of charts showing predicted tidal-current direction and rate at successive stages of a tidal cycle. Arrows show set and figures commonly give spring and neap rates for hourly intervals before and after a reference port’s high water. Some atlases use different time references, symbols or interpolation methods, so the legend and edition govern…
The periodic change in sea level produced principally by the gravitational interaction of the Moon, Sun and Earth and by the Earth’s rotation. Astronomical tide is the predictable sum of many constituents whose periods and amplitudes vary by location because of basin shape, depth and coastline. It produces high and low waters and is related…
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...
Our 1% commitment
My Sailing Course contributes 1% of every Stripe payment to help promising carbon removal technologies move from the lab into the field.
Stripe Climate commitments fund the development and purchase of carbon removal. They are not carbon offsets or credits attached to an individual order.
Welcome to My Sailing Course. Where's this adventure going to take you?
Ahoy there, Visiting Sailor! Ask us anything—whether you need help choosing a course, have a sailing question, or want to speak to the crew.
Scan with your phone to open the My Sailing Course WhatsApp service. You can review or edit the prepared message before sending it.
Your conversation stays with My Sailing Course so our Support team can respond securely.
Enter at least two characters to explore.
Welcome back aboard. Sign in with the email address connected to your My Sailing Course account.
Your account details are encrypted in transit and your password is never displayed or stored by this form. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.
Join free to save your favourites, unlock bonus learning resources and keep everything nautical close at hand.
Join the My Sailing Course community with one secure account for your courses, profile and support.
We've successfully created your account. Hold station for a few moments and you will be returned to the page.
Already have an account? Sign in
Enter your account email and we will send you a secure reset link.
This reset link is invalid or has expired.
Your new password is saved securely. We are confirming it across My Sailing Course before you sign in.
Please keep this window open. It will change to the sign-in form as soon as every service confirms the update.
