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 fitting that attaches the luff of a headsail to a stay while allowing the sail to be raised or lowered. Hanks may be piston, snap, hook or soft types and are spaced along the sail’s luff. They keep the sail close to the stay but slide along it during hoisting and lowering; a hanked…
To haul in a sheet or other control so that a sail is held closer to the vessel’s centreline. The instruction is normally used when trimming for a course closer to the wind or reducing excessive sail movement. It describes changing sheet or control tension, not turning the vessel; the helm instruction to turn closer…
To turn a sailing vessel closer towards the wind. The instruction changes the vessel’s heading and usually requires the sails to be trimmed in as the apparent wind moves forward. It is broadly synonymous with luff up or head up in this context, although command usage can vary between crews. The turn is limited by…
With a vessel’s bow pointing directly into the true wind. A sailing vessel placed head to wind normally has little or no aerodynamic drive from its fore-and-aft sails, which luff unless backed or otherwise controlled. The condition is used during some sail-hoisting, lowering and reefing operations, but the best heading depends on the sail, rig,…
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…
Standing rigging leading forward from a mast to support it against aft-directed loads. A forestay may lead from the masthead or a fractional attachment to the bow, stem fitting or bowsprit. A headsail can be hanked to it, set in a foil around it or carried on a separate inner stay, so sail attachment is…
To gather, roll or fold a sail into its stowed or reduced state. A sail may be rolled around a stay or spar, drawn into a mast or boom, or lowered and secured with sail ties. Completely furling removes it from use; partially rolling a sail reduces area only when the sail and furling system…
The action or equipment used to gather, roll or fold a sail into a stowed or reduced state. Headsail systems commonly rotate a foil or stay, while in-mast and in-boom systems roll a mainsail inside or along a spar. Traditional furling instead lowers and secures the sail without a rotating mechanism. A furling system eases…
A fore-and-aft rig in which a gaff supports the head of a generally four-sided sail. The gaff’s forward end lies against or near the mast and its aft end extends to the sail’s peak. Throat and peak halyards commonly hoist and control it, while the sail’s foot may be set on a boom or left…
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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