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.The fore-and-aft length of a vessel’s hull at the water surface for a stated loading and attitude. LWL is measured between the forward and after intersections of the hull with the specified waterline. It changes with displacement and trim and, on overhanging hulls, can increase as the vessel heels or settles into a wave. The…
A vessel’s movement or momentum through the water. Headway is forward motion and sternway is astern motion. ‘Steerage way’ describes sufficient relative water flow for useful steering response, but the amount required depends on rudder, propulsion, current and vessel design and is not the sole technical meaning of way. A vessel can retain way after…
A sailing vessel’s tendency to turn towards the wind unless opposed by helm or trim. Weather helm arises from the relationship between aerodynamic force, underwater lateral resistance, heel, hull asymmetry and rudder angle. A small tendency can provide feedback and make the vessel round up if steering is released, but excessive weather helm increases drag…
To break an anchor free of the seabed and raise it until the vessel is no longer anchored by it. The vessel is normally manoeuvred or hauled towards the anchor while the rode is recovered, avoiding excessive side load on the windlass. When the rode is vertical the anchor is short stay; once broken out…
A circular steering control used to command a vessel’s rudder, drive or steering system. Mechanical, cable, chain, hydraulic and electronic systems translate wheel rotation into steering movement. The number of turns, direction, centre indication and feedback vary, and an autopilot can move the steering system without the wheel being handled directly. Free play, stiffness, leaks,…
A binding of small cord around a rope end or section to prevent unlaying, fraying or movement. Common methods include common, sailmaker’s and West Country whipping, chosen for rope construction, permanence and available access. Whipping can finish a cut end, secure a splice or mark a line but does not restore strength lost through damage….
A light pole used to hold the clew of a headsail out when sailing downwind. A whisker pole supports the headsail on the side opposite the mainsail in a goose-winged arrangement or keeps it filled when wind and vessel motion would otherwise collapse it. It is commonly adjustable in length and is normally lighter than…
A mechanical device that applies, holds or controls tension in rope, wire or cable using a rotating drum or gypsy and gearing. Sailing winches commonly use a self-tailing or plain drum around which the line takes turns without being permanently stored. Other winches store wire or rope on a reel and may be manual, electric,…
A removable or captive lever used to turn a manually driven winch and select its available gearing. Locking and non-locking handles engage a socket in the winch top, and changing rotation direction can select a different gear on two-speed winches. Length affects leverage but also clearance and the consequences of kickback. The handle should be…
The aerodynamic force or effective exposed area through which wind acts on a vessel and its equipment. Hull topsides, superstructure, rig, sails, covers, deck cargo and people contribute according to projected area, shape, height and wind angle. Windage affects leeway, low-speed manoeuvring, anchoring and mooring loads even when the vessel is not moving through the…
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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