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.Five interdependent controls used to keep a sailing dinghy balanced and performing efficiently. They are commonly taught as sail setting, centreboard or daggerboard position, boat balance, boat trim and course made good. The controls are adjusted continuously for wind strength, point of sail and sea state rather than treated as a fixed checklist.
The adjustment of a sail’s angle and shape to suit the apparent wind and the vessel’s intended course. Sheets control angle of attack, while halyards, outhauls, vangs, travellers, cars and other controls alter draft, twist and leech tension. Effective trim produces useful drive with manageable heel and must be revised as wind, waves, course or…
The transition in which a hydrofoil-supported craft rises until its hull is largely clear of the water. Take-off occurs when foil lift becomes sufficient to support most of the craft’s weight. Speed, foil angle, crew position and sail or power input must be coordinated; excessive pitch or unsuitable ride height can cause ventilation, loss of…
The overall plan for completing a sailing race as quickly and reliably as possible. Strategy considers wind pattern, current, course geometry, boat speed and risk before the immediate actions of boat-to-boat tactics are chosen. It is revised as conditions and the fleet develop, with gains weighed against distance, manoeuvre cost and exposure to adverse shifts.
The vertical clearance at which a foiling craft operates above the water surface. Ride height is governed by foil lift, speed, loading and the craft’s control system or crew inputs. Too little height increases hull contact and drag, while too much can allow a foil to ventilate or emerge and lose lift.
A form of sailing in which a rider stands on a board and controls a freely pivoting sail rig. The rig is connected to the board by a universal joint and is steered chiefly by changing sail position, rig rake and board trim. Balance, apparent-wind awareness and foot placement are central skills, while planing and…
A point of sail with the apparent wind forward of the beam but far enough abaft the bow for the sails to draw without close-hauled trim. It lies between close-hauled and a beam reach. Sails are eased somewhat from close-hauled, and many vessels make good speed with less heel and leeway than when sailing as…
Attached to a stay by individual hanks that slide or clip around the stay as the sail is raised or lowered. Headsail hanks may be piston, snap, soft or other designs spaced along the luff. They keep the sail connected to the forestay while allowing it to be changed, reefed by substitution or lowered to…
A small, strongly built storm sail set abaft the mast in place of, or independently from, the mainsail. A trysail has reduced area, heavy cloth and reinforced corners and is normally set without the main boom or with the boom secured. A dedicated track can allow it to be hoisted without removing the mainsail from…
A lightweight downwind sail with mirror-image luff and leech edges, normally flown with a spinnaker pole. Either lower corner can act as tack or clew as the pole changes sides during a gybe. A halyard supports the head, while sheets and guys control the corners and pole position. It is primarily used on broad reaches…
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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