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.Mooring lines arranged so both ends remain aboard and the vessel can release them without shore assistance. A line is passed around a bollard, ring or suitable fitting ashore and returned to the vessel. When departing, one end is released and the other hauled in, allowing the line to slip around the shore fitting. The…
A lightweight, curved downwind or reaching sail with dissimilar luff and leech edges. Its tack is secured forward, often on a bowsprit, while the clew is controlled by sheets and the head by a halyard. Unlike a symmetric spinnaker, it is not normally squared back with a conventional pole and cannot simply be reversed edge-for-edge….
The four-stage process used to develop, carry out and continuously check a passage plan. Appraisal gathers relevant information and assesses risks; planning converts it into a detailed berth-to-berth route and contingencies; execution manages the voyage; monitoring checks the vessel’s progress and the continuing validity of the plan. The stages interact rather than forming a one-way…
A sail-control line that pulls a sheet lead or sail clew inboard. On a headsail, an inhauler narrows the sheeting angle and can alter slot shape and pointing performance. On other sails or spars, the same general term may describe a control pulling the component towards the centreline. Excessive inhauling can close the slot, hook…
A line or tackle that changes a sheet’s lead position to adjust sail shape or sheeting angle. A barber hauler may pull a headsail sheet inboard or outboard, depending on the rig and sail. It can control leech tension, foot depth and slot shape, and is also used with spinnaker or reaching-sheet systems. The term…
The deck officer assigned responsibility for the vessel’s navigational watch on behalf of the master. The OOW maintains lookout, monitors position and passage plan, applies the collision regulations, manages bridge resources, responds to traffic and weather, and calls the master as required by standing orders and circumstances. The master’s presence does not automatically relieve the…
An emergency in which a person has fallen or been lost from a vessel into the water. Immediate actions normally include raising the alarm, maintaining a continuous lookout and pointing, marking the position, deploying flotation and manoeuvring for recovery while making appropriate distress or urgency communications. The best recovery method depends on vessel, crew, weather…
Sailing with the true wind coming from close to astern. On a run, sails are eased well out and a headsail may be blanketed by the mainsail. The apparent wind is normally lighter and farther aft than the true wind because the vessel is moving in the same general direction. Course instability, rolling and wind…
The lower forward corner of a fore-and-aft sail. On a mainsail it is secured near the gooseneck; on a headsail it is attached near the bow, furler or bowsprit. Tack also names the vessel’s relationship to the wind—port tack or starboard tack—and the manoeuvre of turning the bow through the wind. These meanings are related…
A documented plan for navigating a vessel safely from berth to berth or between defined operational limits. It is developed through appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring and considers route, depths, tides, weather, traffic, regulations, reporting, pilotage, contingencies, abort points and the vessel’s capabilities. The plan must remain usable and be monitored throughout the voyage. Changes…
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...
Our 1% commitment
My Sailing Course contributes 1% of every Stripe payment to help promising carbon removal technologies move from the lab into the field.
Stripe Climate commitments fund the development and purchase of carbon removal. They are not carbon offsets or credits attached to an individual order.
Welcome to My Sailing Course. Where's this adventure going to take you?
Ahoy there, Visiting Sailor! Ask us anything—whether you need help choosing a course, have a sailing question, or want to speak to the crew.
Scan with your phone to open the My Sailing Course WhatsApp service. You can review or edit the prepared message before sending it.
Your conversation stays with My Sailing Course so our Support team can respond securely.
Enter at least two characters to explore.
Welcome back aboard. Sign in with the email address connected to your My Sailing Course account.
Your account details are encrypted in transit and your password is never displayed or stored by this form. By continuing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.
Join free to save your favourites, unlock bonus learning resources and keep everything nautical close at hand.
Join the My Sailing Course community with one secure account for your courses, profile and support.
We've successfully created your account. Hold station for a few moments and you will be returned to the page.
Already have an account? Sign in
Enter your account email and we will send you a secure reset link.
This reset link is invalid or has expired.
Your new password is saved securely. We are confirming it across My Sailing Course before you sign in.
Please keep this window open. It will change to the sign-in form as soon as every service confirms the update.
