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.In or into the enclosed spaces beneath a vessel’s exposed or principal deck. The expression may refer generally to accommodation, storage, machinery and service spaces within the hull. The number and arrangement of decks vary, so it does not identify a particular compartment or imply that every interior space lies below one universal “main deck”….
The forward-left area or direction from a vessel when looking towards the bow. “Port” identifies the vessel’s left side when facing forward, while “bow” identifies its forward part. A report that an object or vessel is “on the port bow” therefore places it in the forward port quarter relative to the observer. The expression provides…
A mooring line leading from the stern area of a vessel to a shore fitting or other secure point. It helps control the stern’s position at a berth and is normally used with bow, breast and spring lines as appropriate. Its lead determines which movement it restrains, so a poorly positioned or over-tight stern line…
A cooking appliance designed or installed for use aboard a vessel. Marine stoves may use gas, diesel, paraffin, alcohol, electricity or another approved energy source. Some are gimballed so that the cooking surface remains nearer level as the vessel heels, while pot restraints help prevent cookware moving. Installation, ventilation, fuel isolation, flame-failure protection and safe…
A small craft used to carry people, stores or equipment between a parent vessel and shore or another vessel. A tender may be a rigid dinghy, inflatable boat, rigid inflatable boat or other launch carried aboard, towed or kept nearby. Its size, propulsion, load capacity and equipment should suit the operating area and the parent…
Farther towards the stern than a stated point or object on a vessel. It is a relative positional term: equipment abaft the mast lies on the stern side of the mast, while a compartment abaft the bridge lies behind the bridge in the vessel’s fore-and-aft orientation. Abaft does not necessarily mean at the stern and…
Directly to either side of a vessel, approximately at right angles to its fore-and-aft line. An object abeam bears about 090 degrees or 270 degrees relative to the vessel’s heading. “Abeam to port” and “abeam to starboard” identify the side on which it lies. The term states direction, not distance, and does not require the…
Supported by the water and not resting on the bottom or shore. A vessel is afloat when buoyancy supports its weight and it is free of the ground, although it may still be anchored, moored or unable to manoeuvre. The term can also describe people, cargo or debris floating in the water. Being afloat does…
Towards or in the rear part of a vessel. Aft may describe direction, as in “move aft”, or location, as in “the aft cabin”. Its opposite is forward, while the stern is the actual rear end or structure of the vessel. The layout of the aft part varies widely and cannot be assumed to contain…
A deck or part of a deck situated towards the stern of a vessel. Also commonly called the aft deck, its precise boundaries and use depend on the vessel’s design. It may provide working space, access to accommodation or machinery, a leisure area, or a station for handling mooring equipment. The name describes location rather…
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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