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.
The average height of the two successive high waters during spring-tide periods at a stated location and over a defined observation period.
The average height of the two successive low waters during neap-tide periods at a stated location and over a defined observation period.
The average height of the two successive low waters during spring-tide periods at a stated location and over a defined observation period.
A unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. One knot is exactly 1.852 kilometres per hour and approximately 1.151 statute miles per hour. Because a knot already means nautical miles per hour, expressions such as ‘knots per hour’ are incorrect when stating speed. The unit is used for vessel speed, current and…
The first sighting or close approach to land after an open-water passage. The term can describe the event, the intended area of coast or the act of making landfall. It does not require physically reaching or going ashore, and in poor visibility the navigational transition may occur by radar, soundings or other verified information before…
A navigation mark that indicates the side of a channel or recognised route. Lateral marks use colour, shape, topmarks and light characteristics to identify the port and starboard sides in the conventional direction of buoyage. They may be floating buoys or fixed beacons, posts and piles. The colours and shapes assigned to port and starboard…
Angular distance north or south of the Equator, expressed from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. Latitude identifies a parallel on a chosen geodetic reference system and is written with N or S, commonly in degrees and decimal minutes or decimal degrees. Together with longitude it specifies a position on or near the Earth. One minute…
A pair or series of separated lights that define a navigational leading line when seen in vertical alignment.
A marked line with a weighted lead used to measure water depth and, in some forms, obtain a seabed sample. The line carries distance marks that are read when the lead reaches the bottom and the line is approximately vertical. A hollow or tallowed recess in the lead can bring up material indicating whether the…
A historical measure of distance whose value varied, commonly taken at sea as three nautical miles. The league was traditionally associated with the distance travelled in an hour, but definitions differed between countries, periods and land and sea use. A marine league of three nautical miles is approximately 5.556 kilometres. It is not a standard…
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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