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 speed at which a vessel can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within an appropriate distance. The collision regulations require continuous consideration of visibility, traffic, manoeuvrability, background lights, wind, sea, current, hazards and draught, with additional radar factors when fitted. Safe speed is therefore situational, not a fixed numerical…
A load-rated tether connecting a crew member’s harness to a strong point or jackline on a vessel. It is intended to prevent separation from the vessel and, where possible, a fall over the side. Attachment points, tether length, hooks, harness fit and a method of releasing under load require careful selection and inspection.
A sling designed to support and lift a person during recovery from the water. It is passed around or attached to the casualty and connected to a hauling point or lifting device. The method should minimise constriction, prevent the person slipping out and, where practicable, keep an exhausted casualty near horizontal.
The horizontal distance between the lines of action of buoyancy and weight when a vessel is heeled. Usually denoted GZ, it multiplied by displacement gives the vessel’s static righting moment. Its value changes with heel and loading and becomes negative when the heeling tendency exceeds the righting tendency.
A severe heel in which a sailing vessel is forced onto its side, commonly with the mast near or in the water. It may be caused by a squall, breaking wave, broach or excessive sail. Recovery depends on stability, watertight integrity and reducing the heeling force, while unsecured people and equipment face significant risk.
A device that automatically releases secured survival equipment when submerged to a specified water pressure. It is commonly fitted to float-free EPIRBs and liferafts so they can rise if a vessel sinks. Correct installation, unobstructed float-free movement and replacement within the marked service life are essential.
An Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon carried to alert search-and-rescue authorities after a maritime distress. A 406 MHz EPIRB transmits a coded identity through Cospas-Sarsat and may include GNSS position and a homing signal. It must be registered, correctly mounted, tested only by approved methods and kept within battery and hydrostatic-release service dates.
A safety device that shuts off fuel or gas when a burner flame is extinguished. It prevents unburned fuel accumulating after a flame goes out because of draught, spillage or interruption. Marine cooking and heating appliances should be maintained and ventilated in accordance with their instructions, and the device must never be bypassed.
A radio message giving the information needed to assist a vessel or person in grave and imminent danger. It normally follows a distress alert and call and includes identity, position, nature of distress, assistance required and other useful information. The prescribed format and channel for the equipment and service in use should be followed.
The entry of water into normally dry spaces through openings as a vessel heels or is immersed. Open hatches, vents, doors and damaged closures can cause progressive flooding and a rapid loss of stability and reserve buoyancy. Downflooding points are therefore important in stability assessment and heavy-weather preparation.
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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