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 traditional warning call made as a sailing vessel begins or commits to a tack. The call alerts the crew that the bow will pass through the wind and that the sails, boom and sheets will change sides. It commonly follows a readiness call such as ‘Ready about’, but wording and exact timing vary between…
The trailing edge of a sail between its head and clew. On most fore-and-aft sails the leech is the aft edge, but ‘trailing edge’ is the more general definition and also applies to sails whose orientation is less conventional. Its shape may be supported by battens and controlled by sheet tension, twist, mast bend, vang…
In the direction towards which the wind is blowing, or on the side away from the wind. Leeward describes direction or relative position and is the opposite of windward. A vessel’s leeward side is normally the side away from the incoming wind, while an object may create a sheltered lee extending downwind of it. Shelter…
Unable to complete a tack because a sailing vessel has lost drive while pointing into or very close to the wind. With the sails luffing and little water flow over the rudder, the vessel may stop turning and begin to drift or make sternway. It commonly results from insufficient speed before the tack, excessive rudder…
In the phase of a tack while the bow is passing through the wind. The expression describes a normal transitional state, traditionally while the headsails and stays are close to the wind, rather than necessarily a loss of control. The sails luff briefly and the vessel relies on momentum and coordinated helm and sail handling…
A triangular headsail set forward of a mast, normally with its luff supported by a stay or foil. A jib is generally non-overlapping or less overlapping than a genoa, although terminology and size conventions vary. It may be hanked to a forestay, set in a luff foil or roller-furled, and specialised forms include working, storm…
The lines attached to or led from a jib’s clew to control its angle and shape. One sheet normally leads to each side of the vessel. The working sheet is tensioned on the leeward side while the lazy sheet remains ready on the opposite side, and their roles exchange when the boat tacks. Lead position…
A fore-and-aft-rigged sailing vessel with a mainmast and a smaller mizzen mast abaft it. In the conventional distinction, the ketch’s mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder stock, whereas a yawl’s smaller mizzen is stepped aft of it. The mizzen sail contributes materially to the ketch’s sail plan and can help balance the vessel….
A tackle that pulls a sailing vessel’s boom down and controls its upward movement. Also called a boom vang, it runs between the lower mast area and the boom. It controls leech tension and sail twist when the mainsheet no longer provides enough downward force, particularly on reaches and downwind courses. The tackle may be…
A line used to hoist, support or lower a sail, flag, yard or other item aloft. A halyard normally runs over or through a sheave and is secured by a cleat, clutch or winch. It may be rope, wire or a combination, and its tension can affect sail luff shape as well as holding 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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