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.A vessel used principally for recreation, cruising or sport rather than commercial carriage or working service. A yacht may be sailing or motor-powered and can range from a small cabin craft to a very large vessel. The word describes use and social or regulatory context more than one hull form, size or level of luxury….
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.
General Nautical Terminology,Weather (Meteorology)
The coordinated use of personnel and facilities to locate people in distress, assist them and deliver them to a place of safety. Maritime SAR is organised through rescue coordination centres and sub-centres within agreed search-and-rescue regions and can involve coastguards, ships, aircraft, lifeboats, emergency services and other resources. The 1979 SAR Convention provides an international…
A commonly used or formally designated route or corridor for vessel traffic. The informal phrase can describe a track used regularly by commercial shipping, while formal routeing measures include traffic lanes within a traffic separation scheme, deep-water routes, recommended tracks and two-way routes. Each has charted limits and specific navigational implications. A shipping lane is…
The principal international treaty establishing minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment and operation of applicable ships. The current framework is SOLAS 1974, as amended, whose chapters cover matters including structure, fire protection, life-saving appliances, radiocommunications, navigation, cargoes, safety management and specialised ship types. Flag states implement and certify compliance, with port-state-control provisions allowing inspection…
The port or place recorded as a vessel’s official home of registration. The port of registry forms part of the vessel’s registered identity and appears on its registration documentation. Depending on the flag state and type of registration, the name may also be marked on the stern together with the vessel’s registered name. It does…
A plain yellow International Code of Signals flag whose single-letter meaning is ‘My vessel is healthy and I request free pratique’. Free pratique is the health authority’s permission for a vessel to have contact with the port after arrival formalities. The flag is traditionally displayed on entering a foreign port until the required clearance is…
A coastal or inland-water location equipped or designated for vessels to berth, shelter, transfer people or cargo, or obtain services. A port can include approach channels, anchorages, terminals, docks, marinas, repair facilities, customs areas and a harbour authority’s jurisdiction. Not every port performs cargo or passenger operations, and a port may exist within a harbour…
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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