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.The procedure used to right a capsized craft and return it to a safe, controllable condition. Methods depend on craft design, crew numbers and whether the boat is inverted, swamped or carrying sails. Crew must stay with the craft where appropriate, account for everyone, avoid entrapment and use the centreboard, righting lines or powered assistance…
An alternative means or procedure for controlling a vessel’s direction after failure of the normal steering system. Arrangements may include local control at the steering gear, an emergency tiller, independent hydraulic power or improvised methods appropriate to the vessel. They must be understood, maintained, tested and practised before an emergency occurs.
A removable or dedicated tiller used to turn the rudder when the normal steering linkage or system fails. It usually fits directly to the rudder stock or an emergency steering head. Access, usable leverage and safe crew position should be checked in advance because loads can be high and cockpit structures or steering components may…
The coordinated manoeuvre and equipment use required to locate, reach and recover a person from the water. Immediate priorities include raising the alarm, keeping the casualty in sight, marking the position and controlling the vessel. The chosen approach and recovery method depend on vessel type, conditions and crew, and must address the difficulty of lifting…
A recognised signal indicating grave and imminent danger and a need for immediate assistance. Maritime distress signals include specified radio alerts and calls, visual signals, pyrotechnics and other internationally recognised forms. They must not be used casually, and any received distress indication should be treated according to applicable search-and-rescue and radio procedures.
An area that may be swept by a mooring line or fitting if a heavily loaded line parts or pulls free. The shape of the danger area depends on the line’s lead, elasticity, attachment points and nearby fittings, and it may not be a simple straight line. Crew should keep out of likely recoil paths,…
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System used for automated alerting and coordinated maritime safety communication. GMDSS combines terrestrial and satellite equipment and services, including DSC, EPIRBs, NAVTEX and safety-information broadcasts. The equipment required depends on the vessel and sea area, and operators must use the correct distress, urgency and safety procedures.
A readily accessible emergency bag containing selected survival, communication and essential personal items for abandoning or evacuating a vessel. Contents may include portable distress beacons or radio, flares, torch, water, food, first aid, thermal protection, medication, documents and equipment that supplements the liferaft or survival craft pack. It should be waterproof or protected, identifiable, portable…
An instrument displaying water depth or the measured distance beneath a vessel from an acoustic transducer or other sensor. Most small-craft depth instruments are echo sounders that time a sound pulse reflected from the seabed. The display may be offset to show depth below the transducer, below the keel or an estimated total depth. The…
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…
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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