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.
An RYA youth racing course introducing the skills and knowledge needed to enter and complete a dinghy race. It covers the starting sequence, course, basic racing rules, boat handling, speed and simple tactical choices in an age-appropriate practical setting. Participants need sufficient basic sailing control for the conditions. Later club and regional racing modules develop…
An RYA intermediate racing course developing the skills needed to compete effectively at club level in a dinghy. It builds boat handling, speed, starting, rules knowledge, tactics and the ability to make a race plan from the conditions and course. The course follows introductory racing experience and precedes the more advanced regional-racing level; current entry…
An RYA-recognised centre approved to deliver eligible boating activities within Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programmes. The approval relates to the centre’s delivery and administration of specified activities, staffing and safety systems; it is not a personal boating qualification. Participants and Award organisers must confirm that the chosen activity, expedition or residential provision meets current RYA…
An RYA practical or specialist training activity developing pilotage in confined, tidal, poor-visibility or night conditions. Work may include detailed plans, transits, clearing bearings, radar or electronic aids, tidal constraints, contingency points and execution with limited visual references. The title is used in different RYA training contexts, so the exact syllabus and award should be…
A practical examination for the RYA/MCA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence. The candidate is assessed as skipper on planning, pilotage, boat handling, navigation, safety, collision avoidance and command, including night or demanding conditions as prescribed by the current scheme. It is an examination rather than a training course. Eligibility, sea time, supporting certificates and commercial…
A practical examination for the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate of Competence in a motor vessel. The candidate demonstrates skippering, navigation, pilotage, safety, collision avoidance, passage management, crew leadership and motor-cruiser handling to the examiner. It is not a course-completion certificate. Current qualifying mileage, sea time, passages, age and supporting certificates must be evidenced under the…
An RYA practical foiling course developing continuous, controlled flight and linked manoeuvres on a dinghy. 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 dinghy. 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 practical foiling course introducing controlled take-off and the first short flights on a dinghy. Training develops equipment knowledge, safe launching, stance, power control, take-off, touchdown and recovery while managing separation from other water users. Suitable weather, equipment and prerequisite board or boat skills are necessary; the award does not imply sustained flight in…
An RYA practical module teaching the rigging and use of conventional or asymmetric spinnakers in a dinghy. It covers preparation, hoisting, trimming, gybing, dropping, crew coordination and recovery from common handling problems. Spinnaker gear can produce high loads and rapid sail movement, so the course builds on established sailing skills and uses techniques appropriate to…
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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