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 fitting that attaches the luff of a headsail to a stay while allowing the sail to be raised or lowered. Hanks may be piston, snap, hook or soft types and are spaced along the sail’s luff. They keep the sail close to the stay but slide along it during hoisting and lowering; a hanked…
To haul in a sheet or other control so that a sail is held closer to the vessel’s centreline. The instruction is normally used when trimming for a course closer to the wind or reducing excessive sail movement. It describes changing sheet or control tension, not turning the vessel; the helm instruction to turn closer…
To turn a sailing vessel closer towards the wind. The instruction changes the vessel’s heading and usually requires the sails to be trimmed in as the apparent wind moves forward. It is broadly synonymous with luff up or head up in this context, although command usage can vary between crews. The turn is limited by…
A closable opening that provides access, light or ventilation through a deck, cabin top or bulkhead. A hatch may be horizontal, inclined or vertical and can lead to accommodation, machinery, storage or an escape route. Its cover may lift, slide or be removed, and a raised coaming commonly helps limit water entry on exposed openings….
To pull a line or object towards the person hauling or towards the vessel. The phrase can mean taking up slack, shortening a working line or bringing equipment alongside or aboard. It does not by itself specify the required force, final position or whether a winch, purchase or other hauling device should be used. Before…
The toilet compartment or toilet installation aboard a vessel. The word can refer to the marine toilet itself or to the enclosed space containing it. The name is traditionally associated with toilets once located near the bow, or head, of sailing ships, where wind and sea helped carry waste away. Modern heads may be manual,…
With a vessel’s bow pointing directly into the true wind. A sailing vessel placed head to wind normally has little or no aerodynamic drive from its fore-and-aft sails, which luff unless backed or otherwise controlled. The condition is used during some sail-hoisting, lowering and reefing operations, but the best heading depends on the sail, rig,…
A sail set forward of a vessel’s foremost or principal mast. Headsails include jibs, genoas, staysails and various reaching or downwind sails, depending on rig and usage. They may be hanked to a stay, set in a foil, flown free or carried on a furler, and a vessel can set more than one at the…
A vessel’s inclination to port or starboard from the upright. Heel is commonly produced by wind force on sails or superstructure, turning forces, an off-centre suspended load or uneven weight distribution. It is generally distinguished from list, which describes a more persistent inclination caused by loading, flooding or damage, although everyday usage can overlap. The…
The vertical distance of the sea surface above the chart datum at a stated place and time. Adding predicted height of tide to a charted drying height or depth gives an estimate of water level or available depth, provided the same datum is used. Chart datum is often related to Lowest Astronomical Tide but its…
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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