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 Beaufort force 12 wind, with a mean speed of 64 knots or more. Hurricane force is the highest numbered force on the Beaufort scale and describes extremely destructive wind and exceptional sea conditions. The term can be used for wind outside a tropical cyclone and therefore does not by itself mean that a meteorological…
A five-category scale classifying hurricanes by their maximum sustained surface wind speed. Category 1 begins at 64 knots and Category 5 at 137 knots on the one-minute sustained-wind convention used by the United States National Hurricane Center. The categories indicate potential wind damage but do not measure a cyclone’s physical size or overall destructive potential….
The direction from the vessel’s present position to a selected waypoint. A navigation receiver or chartplotter normally calculates bearing to waypoint from successive position fixes and displays it in degrees. The value must be interpreted using its stated reference—true, magnetic or occasionally grid north. Bearing to waypoint is not necessarily the vessel’s heading, course over…
A large-scale atmospheric circulation around a low-pressure centre, rotating anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Cyclone is a general meteorological term and includes extratropical depressions as well as tropical cyclones. Air converges towards lower pressure and is deflected by Earth’s rotation, commonly producing cloud, precipitation, shifting winds and unsettled conditions….
Water particles that fall from the atmosphere and reach the surface as rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, hail or related forms. Precipitation develops when cloud droplets or ice particles grow heavy enough to fall. Its form depends on the temperature and moisture profile between the cloud and the surface, so it may change during descent. For…
An internationally standardised system of flags, radiotelephony and coded signals for communicating important maritime messages, particularly about safety and navigation. The code assigns meanings to single-letter flags, multi-flag groups, numeral pennants and selected spoken or Morse forms so vessels and shore stations can exchange concise messages across language barriers. Medical and distress-related sections support specialised…
A standard set of code words used to transmit letters clearly when speech may be misunderstood. In marine radiotelephony, letters are spoken as words such as Alfa, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. The system reduces confusion between similar-sounding letters when spelling vessel names, call signs, coordinates and other important information over a noisy or weak radio…
An unmanned, self-propelled submersible that carries out a programmed mission without a continuous control link. An AUV uses onboard navigation, sensors, power and control systems to survey or inspect beneath the surface. Typical work includes hydrographic mapping, scientific sampling, pipeline and cable inspection, mine countermeasures and search operations. Unlike a remotely operated vehicle, an AUV…
The heel angle at which a vessel’s righting lever reduces to zero after its initial range of positive stability. Before the AVS, the intact vessel normally has positive righting ability and tends to return towards upright when the heeling force is removed. Beyond it, the righting lever becomes negative and the vessel tends to continue…
The chapter of the SOLAS Convention setting international requirements for safe navigation and navigational services and equipment. It covers matters including navigational warnings, meteorological services, search and rescue, hydrographic services, routeing, reporting, carriage of navigation systems, charts and publications, voyage planning, danger messages and the master’s professional judgement. Unlike many SOLAS chapters, parts of Chapter…
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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