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 sleeping berth aboard a vessel, often built into the accommodation. Bunks may be single, double, stacked, pipe-framed or formed by converting seating. Offshore arrangements can include lee cloths, boards or shaped cushions to help retain an occupant as the vessel heels and moves. A usable sea berth needs ventilation, dry bedding, secure structure and…
A wearable flotation device that assists a conscious person in remaining afloat and swimming. Buoyancy aids are commonly used for dinghy sailing, paddlesports and other activities where the wearer expects to enter the water and rescue is close. They are generally designed for active users and should not be assumed to turn an unconscious wearer…
An enclosed compartment aboard a vessel used for accommodation, work or another assigned purpose. A cabin may be a sleeping space for crew or passengers, a wheelhouse, an office or another enclosed room depending on vessel type and usage. On small craft, the word often refers generally to the sheltered interior rather than one private…
Above the deck or high in a vessel’s mast, rigging or superstructure. A person may go aloft to inspect or work on sails, rigging, antennas, lights or other equipment. The term can also describe an object positioned or hoisted high above the deck. Work aloft exposes people to falls, vessel movement and dropped-object hazards. Safe…
Close beside and generally parallel to another vessel, a berth or a landing place. A vessel comes alongside to embark or disembark people, transfer stores or cargo, receive services, or secure at a berth. Fenders protect the contact area and mooring lines control relative movement once the vessel is in position. Wind, stream, tide, wash,…
A device connected to a vessel by a rode and deployed to the bottom to limit the vessel’s movement. Different anchor designs hold by burying in the seabed, hooking suitable ground, resisting through shape and weight, or a combination of these effects. Holding performance depends on anchor design and size, bottom type, setting technique, load…
A floating marker connected by a buoyed line to an anchor or its crown to show the anchor’s position. It can help identify where the anchor lies and, when correctly arranged, may provide a trip line for freeing an anchor that is fouled. The buoy and line must have suitable size, strength and length for…
The chain, rope, wire or combination connecting a vessel to its anchor. On ships, “anchor cable” commonly means the chain cable; on small craft, the broader term “anchor rode” is often used for chain, rope or a combination. The cable transmits the vessel’s load to the anchor and its weight and elasticity influence shock loading…
An all-round white light displayed as part of the prescribed signal for a vessel at anchor. It enables other mariners to recognise the presence and status of an anchored vessel after dark and in restricted visibility. The required number, position and visibility range depend on vessel length and the applicable collision regulations, so the signal…
A compartment designed to stow an anchor, anchor rode or associated anchoring equipment. It is commonly located near the bow so the rode can lead to the windlass, bow roller or hawsepipe, but arrangements vary. A chain locker may be a separate compartment below the windlass into which cable self-stows as it is recovered. Drainage,…
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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