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.Courses and exams run by RYA Training Centres, following an RYA syllabus and structure.
A compact transparent chartwork tool combining straight edges, a rotating compass rose and distance scales. It is used to plot or measure courses and bearings on training and nautical charts without a separate parallel ruler and protractor. The rose is aligned with a chart meridian before the edge is used along the required line. Distance…
The United Kingdom’s national governing body for recreational and competitive boating. The RYA represents sailing, motor cruising, powerboating, windsurfing, personal watercraft, inland waterways and related activities, and operates training, certification, coaching and performance programmes through recognised centres. It is not the general statutory regulator for UK shipping; responsibilities also sit with government, the Maritime and…
A progression course consolidating basic sailing and decision-making in a cruising yacht or keelboat. It develops independent control, manoeuvres, sail trim, safety awareness and routine crew tasks in suitable conditions. The exact RYA scheme and certificate should be confirmed with the centre because this title is not as specific as the established sail-cruising and National…
An introductory RYA practical course in the basic handling of a cruising yacht or keelboat within the relevant scheme. It introduces steering, sail control, points of sail, tacking, gybing, safety and crew routines under close supervision. The exact scheme and craft should be confirmed with the centre because “Cruising Level 1” is less specific than…
An RYA practical sail-cruising course developing the ability to skipper short passages by day. It combines pilotage, navigation, safety, crew organisation, close-quarters manoeuvring, sail handling and response to common emergencies. The course develops practical command at an introductory skipper level; capability remains limited by experience, yacht and conditions.
An advanced RYA practical sail-cruising course developing skippering on longer and more demanding coastal passages. It emphasises passage planning, pilotage, navigation, weather, night work, safety, crew management and yacht handling under sail and power. The course certificate is distinct from the independently examined Yachtmaster Coastal Certificate of Competence and does not automatically confer a commercial…
A short RYA introductory practical course providing first experience of sailing a cruising yacht. It introduces personal safety, steering, sail handling, ropework and basic onboard routines as a participating crew member. The course can lead into Competent Crew but is not a skipper qualification or proof of independent yacht handling.
An RYA practical foiling course developing continuous, controlled flight and linked manoeuvres on a windsurfing. Training consolidates take-off, stable ride height, course changes, touchdowns, recovery and decision-making over longer periods on foil. It is an advanced personal-performance award, not an instructor qualification, and remains specific to the discipline, equipment and conditions.
An RYA practical foiling course developing longer, more controlled and efficient flight on a windsurfing. It refines take-off, ride height, direction, speed, balance and recovery, with techniques adapted to the foil and craft. It follows first-flight competence and precedes the sustained-flight standard; progress remains dependent on conditions and equipment.
An RYA beginner practical course teaching use of a hand-held wing on a non-foiling board. It covers equipment, safety, launching, wing control, stance, steering, turning and returning to the start area. Wingsurfing builds the wing-handling skills used later for wingfoiling but does not include sustained foil flight.
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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