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.
Published predictions of tidal times and heights for stated locations, dates and reference datums. Tables commonly list high and low water for standard ports and provide corrections or direct predictions for secondary locations. They may also include tidal curves, coefficients, time-zone information and explanatory notes, but tidal streams are often published separately. The correct year,…
The estimated time remaining before a vessel reaches a selected waypoint or destination. Often abbreviated to TTG, it is calculated from the remaining distance and an assumed or measured rate of closing. Navigation equipment may update the value continuously using speed made good towards the selected point rather than total speed over the ground. The…
A geographic or administrative region using the same civil-time offset from Coordinated Universal Time. Time zones are commonly expressed as UTC plus or minus a number of hours and sometimes minutes. Governments define civil zones and daylight-saving changes, while marine forecasts, radio schedules, tide tables and logbooks may remain in UTC or another explicitly stated…
A formally adopted routeing measure that separates opposing or crossing streams of vessel traffic into defined lanes and associated areas.
The observed alignment of two charted or identifiable objects from a vessel. When the nearer and farther objects lie on the same bearing, the vessel is on the straight line through them. A charted transit can mark a channel centreline, clearing line or position line, while an uncharted pair can provide a useful repeatable reference….
The adjustment or resulting condition of a vessel’s fore-and-aft attitude, weight distribution or sail settings. Vessel trim describes the difference between forward and aft draught and can be changed by loading, ballast or fuel distribution. Sail trim describes adjustment of sheets and controls to shape and orient sails for the desired drive, heel and balance….
Adjustable surfaces at a powerboat’s stern used to alter its running trim and side-to-side attitude. Conventional trim tabs are hinged plates on the transom. Lowering a tab creates lift at that part of the stern, which can lower the bow, help the vessel reach or maintain planing attitude and correct an uneven running angle caused…
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…
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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