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 toilet compartment or toilet installation aboard a vessel. The word can refer to the marine toilet itself or to the enclosed space containing it. The name is traditionally associated with toilets once located near the bow, or head, of sailing ships, where wind and sea helped carry waste away. Modern heads may be manual,…
A sail set forward of a vessel’s foremost or principal mast. Headsails include jibs, genoas, staysails and various reaching or downwind sails, depending on rig and usage. They may be hanked to a stay, set in a foil, flown free or carried on a furler, and a vessel can set more than one at the…
A vessel’s inclination to port or starboard from the upright. Heel is commonly produced by wind force on sails or superstructure, turning forces, an off-centre suspended load or uneven weight distribution. It is generally distinguished from list, which describes a more persistent inclination caused by loading, flooding or damage, although everyday usage can overlap. The…
The steering position or steering control of a vessel, and by extension the person operating it. The physical control may be a tiller, wheel, joystick, steering lever or other interface connected mechanically, hydraulically or electronically to rudders, drives or thrusters. ‘Take the helm’ means assume steering control, while helm orders direct the required steering action….
A rope fastening formed around or to an object, another rope or its own standing part. Unlike a knot formed primarily within the rope itself, a hitch normally depends on the object or standing part around which it is tied. Common examples include the clove hitch, rolling hitch, round turn and two half hitches, each…
To raise a sail, flag, load or other item by means of a line or lifting system. A sail or flag is commonly hoisted with a halyard, while heavier loads may require a winch, tackle, crane or derrick. The word can also be a noun for the lifting operation or equipment and, in sailmaking, for…
A tank that retains sewage or other wastewater aboard until it can be discharged through an authorised route. Marine holding tanks most commonly receive toilet waste, but greywater may be stored separately or in a system designed for it. Typical components include inlet and vent lines, level indication, inspection access, a deck pump-out connection and,…
A horseshoe-shaped buoyant rescue aid intended to be deployed to a person in the water. Its open shape can make it easier to place around the casualty than a closed ring. Depending on the installation, it may be fitted with a drogue, light, whistle, retrieval line or marker pole, but these additions and any approval…
The area or fittings near a masthead where shrouds and stays are attached or supported. On traditional spars, the hounds are strengthened portions of the mast that support the trestletrees or rigging. On modern yachts, the word is often used more generally for the mast area and fittings at the upper attachment of cap shrouds,…
The principal watertight structural body of a vessel that provides buoyancy and supports its loads. The hull includes its bottom and sides and may incorporate decks, bulkheads, framing, tanks and internal structure according to the vessel’s design. It can be built from timber, steel, aluminium, fibre-reinforced composites, ferrocement or combinations of materials, and may have…
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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