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.Reducing a sail’s exposed area by partially rolling it around or into a stay, foil, mast or boom. Unlike complete roller furling, roller reefing leaves part of the sail set and loaded. Headsails roll around a stay or foil, while mainsails may roll inside a mast or boom or around a boom, and each arrangement…
A portable fender kept ready to be positioned where unexpected contact is likely. It supplements fenders already rigged for berthing or rafting and can be moved to a changing contact point between vessels, a quay, pile or lock wall. A crew member may control it by a line, but should not use hands or feet…
A steering surface that produces a turning force by deflecting water flowing past it. A rudder may be hung on the stern, supported by a skeg, balanced around a stock, mounted as a spade or incorporated into other arrangements. It works only when there is sufficient relative water flow, which can come from vessel movement…
The strong shaft that supports a rudder and transmits steering movement to it. The rudder stock passes into or through the hull and connects the rudder blade to a tiller, quadrant, steering arm or other steering mechanism. Bearings support and guide the stock, while a gland, seal or tube limits water entry where the arrangement…
To allow a line, chain or cable to move through its lead or controlling equipment. A line may be ordered to run freely or under controlled rendering, depending on the operation. The word can also describe how a line is routed, as in running it through a block, so crew instructions should make the intended…
Lines, wire and associated movable equipment used to hoist, lower, trim or control sails, spars and other gear. Halyards, sheets, guys, lifts, reefing lines and control lines are typical examples, working through blocks, sheaves, tracks, clutches, cleats and winches. Unlike standing rigging, these components move or are adjusted during operation, although some remain loaded for…
A deliberately reactive metal component that corrodes in preference to protected underwater metalwork. The anode is electrically connected to the metal it protects, such as a propeller, shaft, stern gear, drive unit or bonded fitting. Zinc, aluminium and magnesium alloys are used in different environments and systems; the correct material depends on water type, protected…
A compartment intended for stowing sails and associated sail-handling equipment. It may be a dedicated forepeak or deck locker or a dry storage space within the accommodation, depending on vessel design. Sail bags, battens, sheets and covers need restraint and organisation so the required sail can be removed without damaging cloth or blocking access. Wet…
Short lengths of line or webbing used to secure a lowered or furled sail. They keep a mainsail gathered on the boom or restrain another sail for temporary stowage so that it does not fill with wind or obstruct the deck. Traditional sail ties may also be called gaskets. Ties should be secure but not…
An inboard-engine drive unit whose geared leg passes through the hull and carries the propeller. The engine is mounted inside the vessel and drives through a gearbox and vertical or inclined leg, avoiding the long exposed shaft and separate stern gland of a conventional shaft drive. The installation commonly uses a flexible diaphragm or seal…
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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