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 person physically steering a vessel at a particular time. The helmsperson operates the wheel, tiller or other steering control and follows the ordered course or manoeuvre. The role does not automatically include command or navigation: a skipper, officer of the watch or pilot may direct the vessel while another person steers. Good practice includes…
The highest tidal level predicted to occur under average meteorological conditions from any combination of astronomical influences.
An approximate speed at which wave-making resistance rises sharply for a conventional displacement hull. As speed increases, a displacement vessel creates a longer bow-and-stern wave system. Near the traditional hull-speed region, the wavelength approaches the vessel’s waterline length and substantially more power is normally required for a further increase. A commonly quoted estimate in knots…
An underwater lifting surface shaped to generate hydrodynamic lift as it moves through water. A vessel may use one or more foils to support part or nearly all of its weight, reducing immersed hull area and wave-making resistance at sufficient speed. Foils may be surface-piercing or fully submerged and can be fixed, actively controlled or…
The applied science of measuring and describing the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal waters, lakes and rivers for navigation and other marine purposes. Hydrographic work determines depth, seabed character, coastline, hazards, tides, currents and the positions of relevant features. Surveys combine methods such as echo sounding, positioning, water-level observation, sonar and remote sensing, with…
Towards or in the front part of a vessel, in the direction of the bow. Forward may describe direction, as in “move forward”, or position, as in “the forward cabin”. Its opposite aboard is aft, and its meaning remains tied to the vessel even when a person is facing another way. The word does not…
The greatest permitted steering angle of a vessel’s rudder to one side. Applying full rudder turns the rudder to the limit allowed by the steering system. It is used when a strong turning effect is required, although the response still depends on water flow over the rudder, vessel speed, hull form and environmental conditions. More…
To take the action required to keep clear of another vessel in a collision-avoidance situation. Where the collision regulations require a vessel to give way, its action should be early and substantial enough to be readily apparent and should result in passing at a safe distance. Depending on the circumstances, that can involve altering course,…
The vessel required by the applicable collision regulations to keep out of the way of another vessel in a particular encounter. This is a role created by the circumstances and the relevant rule, not a permanent class of vessel. The give-way vessel should take early and substantial action that is readily apparent and produces a…
The United States satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing system. GPS is one constellation within the wider family of global navigation satellite systems. A receiver estimates position and time from the measured travel times of coded signals transmitted by multiple satellites, and can derive speed and course over the ground from successive measurements or signal changes….
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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