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 line on which an observer’s position must lie according to one measured bearing, range, angle or other observation. Examples include a bearing line to a charted object, a radar range circle, a depth contour under suitable conditions or a celestial position line. Two independent LOPs may intersect at a fix, while three can reveal…
A proprietary inflatable man-overboard recovery system that provides a visible buoyant target and lifting arrangement. Depending on the model, deployment creates an inflatable horseshoe, recovery module or enclosure with light, drogue and lifting points to support and locate the casualty until recovery. It supplements rather than replaces immediate alarm, lookout, manoeuvring, position marking and rescue…
A wearable personal flotation device designed to provide buoyancy and support a person in the water. Lifejackets are selected by buoyancy, performance level, size, intended water, clothing and activity. Some are designed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up and support the airway; buoyancy aids generally provide less turning performance. A lifejacket must be correctly fitted,…
An international satellite system that detects and locates compatible 406 MHz distress beacons and relays alerts to search-and-rescue authorities. Satellites and ground stations process alerts from EPIRBs, personal locator beacons and emergency locator transmitters. Encoded identity and, where available, GNSS position are routed through mission control centres to the appropriate rescue coordination centre. The system…
An intergovernmental organisation that oversees specified public-service obligations of recognised mobile satellite communication providers. IMSO originated as INMARSAT but no longer operates the commercial satellite network. It oversees providers recognised for GMDSS satellite services and coordinates aspects of the Long-Range Identification and Tracking system under IMO arrangements. Inmarsat is now a commercial service name and…
A floating pyrotechnic distress signal that emits dense orange smoke to mark a position in daylight. It is especially useful for showing wind direction and identifying a casualty or survival craft to nearby vessels or aircraft. Orange smoke is an internationally recognised distress signal. The device should be deployed to leeward according to its instructions…
A hand-held pyrotechnic distress signal that burns with an intense red light for short-range position marking. It is intended to help nearby rescuers identify a casualty, survival craft or vessel, particularly after a long-range alert has already been made. Red hand flares are recognised distress signals. They produce extreme heat, flame and hot residue and…
A rocket-propelled pyrotechnic distress signal that deploys a bright red flare beneath a parachute at height. Its altitude, luminous intensity and slow descent make it a long-range signal intended to attract attention over a wide area. Under the collision regulations, a rocket parachute flare showing a red light is a recognised distress signal. It should…
A short-range marine radiocommunication system operating in internationally allocated very-high-frequency channels. It supports ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, port operations, safety broadcasts and distress, urgency and routine calls. Fixed sets may include Digital Selective Calling linked to position information, while handheld sets provide portable local communication. Range is mainly line of sight and depends strongly on antenna height,…
A large, light-air reaching sail with an asymmetric shape, typically set on a furler ahead of the forestay. A Code Zero bridges some of the performance gap between a genoa and an asymmetric spinnaker. Its cut, luff tension and permitted dimensions vary between cruising designs and rating-rule definitions. It is not always a close-reaching sail…
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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