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 large, light-air reaching sail with an asymmetric shape, typically set on a furler ahead of the forestay. A Code Zero bridges some of the performance gap between a genoa and an asymmetric spinnaker. Its cut, luff tension and permitted dimensions vary between cruising designs and rating-rule definitions. It is not always a close-reaching sail…
The rotating lower component of a furling system that winds or releases the control line to turn a sail foil or stay. In a headsail furler, pulling the furling line rotates the drum and foil to roll the sail; unfurling the sail rewinds the line onto the drum. Some systems use continuous-line drums rather than…
A deck fitting that grips a line under load and can be opened for controlled adjustment or release. Rope clutches allow a winch to be freed after a halyard or control line is secured. Internal cams or jaws are designed for specified rope diameters, constructions and working loads. Many clutches should be unloaded on a…
A structural fitting that transfers rigging loads from a stay or shroud into the hull or deck structure. Chainplates may be stainless steel, bronze, composite or other engineered material and can be external, internal or integrated into the hull. Their fasteners, knees, bulkheads and laminates form part of the load path. Crevice corrosion, fatigue, leaks,…
A line-holding fitting with opposed spring-loaded cams whose teeth grip a rope pulled between them. The line is normally engaged by pulling it down or into the cams and released by lifting or changing its lead. Cam cleats are common on sheets and control lines requiring frequent adjustment. They must suit the rope diameter, material,…
A folding fabric canopy on an open frame that provides shade over part of a boat’s cockpit or deck. Unlike a rigid wheelhouse or fully enclosed sprayhood, a bimini is usually open at the sides and supported by metal bows. It may fold or be removed when not required. It must be secured for the…
A lightweight stock anchor with two broad pivoting flukes designed to penetrate suitable sand or mud. The stock holds the crown and flukes at an effective orientation while the rode pulls the anchor into the bottom. High fluke area can give strong holding for its weight in compatible seabeds. It may struggle in weed, rock,…
A claw-shaped anchor design with three rounded flukes formed around a central shank. The original Bruce and related claw anchors are valued for simple construction and their ability to reset after a direction change. Performance varies by size, design and seabed, and can be weaker in some hard, weedy or very soft bottoms. It should…
A persistent heel to port or starboard caused by an off-centre weight, flooding or other imbalance rather than wind or turning force. List can result from uneven loading, cargo shift, liquids in partly filled tanks, water ingress or structural damage. It changes available stability and may immerse openings or reduce reserve buoyancy. It must be…
The accelerated, rotating and turbulent stream of water produced by a working propeller. Propeller wash acts on the rudder and nearby hull, contributing to low-speed manoeuvring, and can extend behind or ahead of the vessel depending on propulsion direction. Its strength depends on power, propeller, depth and surrounding structures. Near berths it can move other…
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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