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 perimeter barrier of rails, guard wires or lifelines supported by stanchions to reduce the risk of people falling overboard. The arrangement may include rigid rails, wire or suitable rope, together with gates, pulpits and pushpits. Required height, spacing, strength and openings depend on the vessel and applicable standards, so a particular waist height is…
A line used to control or brace the position of a spar, pole or other movable item. In conventional spinnaker handling, the afterguy controls the outboard end of the spinnaker pole and works with a foreguy or downhaul and the sheet. Terminology varies between rigs and regions, and on some systems the two working lines…
A sailing manoeuvre in which the stern passes through the wind and the sails change from one side to the other. A gybe occurs with the true wind abaft the beam and may be deliberate or accidental. As the wind changes sides, a boom or other sail-handling equipment can cross the vessel rapidly and the…
A warning call that a sailing vessel is beginning a gybe and the boom is about to cross the boat. The call alerts the crew to keep clear of the boom, mainsheet and associated tackle and to carry out their assigned actions. It is normally made as the helm is applied after the crew has…
A descriptive sailing expression for a sail or line running outward rapidly after it is released or loses restraint. A sheet can fly out through a block or fairlead and a sail can blow out to leeward when its control is released. The phrase is not a single standard technical manoeuvre and its intended meaning…
Suspended microscopic water droplets or ice crystals near the surface that reduce horizontal visibility below 1,000 metres. Fog forms through several processes, including cooling moist air to saturation, moving warm moist air over colder water, radiation cooling and evaporation into cold air. Mist is the corresponding obscuration when visibility remains at least 1,000 metres under…
A sound-signalling appliance used to make a powerful warning signal in fog or other restricted visibility. Foghorns may be carried by vessels or installed at fixed locations such as lighthouses, harbour entrances and offshore structures. Modern appliances can be pneumatic, electric or electronic; the familiar deep tone is intended to carry over distance, although its…
Waves travelling in broadly the same direction as the vessel. In a following sea, waves approach from astern and overtake the vessel or carry it forward. The effect depends on wave speed, steepness and direction relative to the vessel, as well as the vessel’s speed, hull form and steering characteristics. Large or steep following seas…
A drag device streamed from a vessel to reduce speed through the water or influence its orientation. Drogues include cones, fabric devices and series drogues and are commonly deployed from the stern to control speed in following seas, reduce the tendency to surf or broach, or slow drift during fishing or recovery work. Their behaviour…
To let out a loaded line or control gradually while maintaining control of it. A sheet is eased to allow a sail to move farther from the centreline or to reduce load, while a mooring line may be eased to change the vessel’s position or share load with another line. The amount and rate depend…
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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