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 sail control that tensions or positions the clew away from the mast or towards the outboard end of a boom or spar. On a conventional mainsail the outhaul pulls the clew aft along or towards the boom end, changing foot tension and lower-sail depth. It may be a simple line, an internal purchase, a…
The sideways movement of a vessel through the water caused mainly by wind acting on its exposed surfaces. Leeway carries a vessel downwind of the direction in which it is heading. The leeway angle is the angle between the vessel’s heading and its resulting track through the water, and it varies with wind strength, point…
The leading edge of a sail. On a mainsail it normally runs between tack and head beside the mast; on a headsail it lies along or ahead of the supporting stay or foil. The luff may contain a bolt rope, slides, cars, hanks or a shaped tape according to the attachment system. Halyard, cunningham and…
To steer a sailing vessel closer towards the wind. Luffing up reduces the angle between the vessel’s heading and the true or apparent wind and normally requires the sails to be trimmed for the new course. The term describes a heading change, whereas a sail itself luffs when its leading edge loses smooth airflow and…
A temporary reduction in wind speed. A lull may last only a few seconds or persist for longer between gusts or during a broader change in the weather. It can alter sail force, apparent wind, boat speed and balance, particularly when the surrounding wind is variable. The term describes a decrease rather than a forecast…
To set or increase sail in preparation for or while proceeding under sail. Making sail can include hoisting, unfurling or setting one or more sails and trimming them for the intended course. The expression may describe getting under way under sail, but it can also mean adding sail after the vessel is already under way….
The sail set on the mainmast and normally regarded as the principal sail of that mast. On a modern sloop or cutter it is usually a fore-and-aft sail with its luff attached to or close to the mast and its foot on a boom or loose-footed. Other rigs use gaff, lug, square or multi-masted arrangements,…
An adjustable fitting or car that moves the mainsheet’s effective deck attachment across or along the vessel. On many yachts the car runs on a transverse track and changes the boom’s lateral position without the same change in sheet tension that would occur by easing the mainsheet. This allows angle of attack and leech tension…
A principal upright or near-upright spar or structure that supports sails, rigging or equipment aboard a vessel. A sailing mast carries sail and rig loads through standing and running rigging and may be deck-stepped or keel-stepped. Power vessels also use masts for lights, antennas, radar, signals and sensors, and construction may be timber, aluminium, steel…
Lines rigged on each side of a boom to guide and contain a sail as it is lowered. They normally lead from the mast or upper rigging to points along the boom, forming a cradle for a mainsail or similar fore-and-aft sail. They may be fixed, adjustable or integrated with a sail cover and are…
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...
Our 1% commitment
My Sailing Course contributes 1% of every Stripe payment to help promising carbon removal technologies move from the lab into the field.
Stripe Climate commitments fund the development and purchase of carbon removal. They are not carbon offsets or credits attached to an individual order.
Welcome to My Sailing Course. Where's this adventure going to take you?
Ahoy there, Visiting Sailor! Ask us anything—whether you need help choosing a course, have a sailing question, or want to speak to the crew.
Scan with your phone to open the My Sailing Course WhatsApp service. You can review or edit the prepared message before sending it.
Your conversation stays with My Sailing Course so our Support team can respond securely.
Enter at least two characters to explore.
Welcome back aboard. Sign in with the email address connected to your My Sailing Course account.
Your account details are encrypted in transit and your password is never displayed or stored by this form. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.
Join free to save your favourites, unlock bonus learning resources and keep everything nautical close at hand.
Join the My Sailing Course community with one secure account for your courses, profile and support.
We've successfully created your account. Hold station for a few moments and you will be returned to the page.
Already have an account? Sign in
Enter your account email and we will send you a secure reset link.
This reset link is invalid or has expired.
Your new password is saved securely. We are confirming it across My Sailing Course before you sign in.
Please keep this window open. It will change to the sign-in form as soon as every service confirms the update.
