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 propulsion arrangement in which an inboard engine turns a propeller through a shaft passing through the hull. The gearbox, coupling, shaft, bearings, stern tube, seal and propeller form the principal driveline. Depending on the installation, thrust is transmitted through the gearbox and its mounts or through a separate thrust bearing. Shaft drive is mechanically…
A marine propulsion system combining an inboard engine with a steerable geared drive unit mounted through the transom. The engine drives the external leg through a transom assembly; gears turn one or more propellers, and steering pivots the leg to direct thrust. The leg can normally be trimmed and raised for performance, shallow water or…
The angular error of a magnetic compass caused by magnetic influences aboard the vessel. Deviation is the difference between magnetic heading and compass heading and is named east or west. It normally changes with heading because permanent and induced magnetism in the hull, machinery, wiring and equipment affects the compass differently as the vessel turns….
A geared propulsion leg that carries power from an inboard engine vertically through the hull to an underwater propeller. The engine is mounted inside the vessel and connects to the saildrive leg, which passes through a hull opening sealed by a flexible diaphragm. Lower gears turn the drive through approximately a right angle to the…
A fixed longitudinal projection beneath the hull that provides directional stability or protects and supports underwater gear. A skeg may extend ahead of a rudder, support the lower rudder bearing, protect a propeller, or form part of the aft keel profile. On some planing craft and outboard or stern-drive legs, the term is also used…
Describes two blocks hauled together so that no further purchase movement remains. In a tackle, the moving and fixed blocks become chock-a-block when their shells or fittings meet. Continuing to haul cannot shorten the tackle and may overload the line, fittings or structure. The expression now also means completely full, crowded or tightly packed. Its…
A marine pulley assembly containing one or more sheaves over which a rope or wire runs. Blocks change the direction of a line and, when combined as a tackle, can provide mechanical advantage. Parts may include the shell, sheave, pin or bearing, cheeks, becket and attachment such as a shackle or swivel. A block must…
The inboard end of a cable or line, especially the end secured aboard a vessel. For an anchor cable, the bitter end is secured in the chain locker by an arrangement intended to hold it in normal use while allowing emergency release where fitted. The term is also used more generally for the last end…
The heel angle at which a vessel’s righting lever reduces to zero after its initial range of positive stability. Before the AVS, the intact vessel normally has positive righting ability and tends to return towards upright when the heeling force is removed. Beyond it, the righting lever becomes negative and the vessel tends to continue…
A type-approved shipborne navigation system meeting IMO performance standards for displaying official electronic chart data and supporting route planning and monitoring. With adequate backup arrangements and up-to-date official chart data, ECDIS can satisfy applicable SOLAS chart-carriage requirements. It integrates position and other sensor information with chart objects, safety contours, route checks, alarms and official updates….
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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