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 sudden, substantial increase in wind speed that lasts longer than a brief gust. A squall can accompany a shower, thunderstorm, cold front or line of convective cloud, but it is not defined by the presence of dark cloud or by one particular type of front. Wind direction may shift and heavy rain, hail, lightning…
The forward impulse or surge imparted to a vessel or floating object by waves or swell. In traditional nautical usage, the send of the sea describes the bodily movement or momentum produced as a wave lifts and carries the vessel. It may be felt near a harbour entrance, shoal, wall or other place where wave…
A sudden impact produced when part of a vessel’s hull re-enters or strikes the water with substantial relative velocity. Bottom slamming often affects forward flatter sections after they emerge in waves, while bow flare, wet-deck and stern slamming occur in other hull forms and conditions. The event creates short-duration pressure loads, noise and acceleration rather…
A shallow area or submerged elevation of the seabed that may pose a navigation hazard. A shoal may consist of sand, gravel, mud, rock or coral and can lie near shore or offshore. Whether it is dangerous depends on charted and actual depth, tidal height, vessel draught, squat, waves and the required under-keel clearance. Currents…
The acquired ability to balance, move and work comfortably on a vessel in motion. Developing sea legs involves adapting posture, timing and movement to roll, pitch and acceleration and is separate from complete immunity to seasickness. Adaptation varies between people, vessels and conditions and can be lost after time ashore. Experience does not remove fall…
A drag device deployed in the water to limit drift and control a vessel’s orientation relative to wind and waves. A sea anchor is commonly a parachute-shaped fabric device deployed from the bow or another designed strong point to hold the vessel broadly head-to-weather. It differs from a drogue, which is usually streamed astern to…
A ridge, chain or area of rock, coral or other consolidated material lying at or near the water surface. Reefs may be biogenic, volcanic, rocky or artificial and can be exposed, drying or fully submerged. Sandbanks and shoals can create similar navigation hazards but are not necessarily reefs because unconsolidated sand alone is not the…
A fast, turbulent tidal stream, often concentrated by seabed or coastal features. Tidal races form where large volumes of water are forced through narrow channels, around headlands or over abrupt changes of depth. Eddies, overfalls and steep waves may develop, especially near the strongest part of the stream. Conditions can deteriorate sharply when wind opposes…
Struck or swept by a sea breaking over the vessel’s stern. A vessel is pooped when a following wave overtakes it and breaks onto the poop deck, afterdeck or cockpit. Water may flood open spaces, damage equipment or enter the accommodation, but the word does not necessarily mean that the vessel has been completely swamped….
Angular vessel motion about a transverse axis, alternately raising and lowering the bow and stern. Pitch is one of the six rigid-body motions of a vessel and is commonly excited by waves, particularly when their encounter period relates to the vessel’s natural response. Unlike heave, which is vertical translation of the whole vessel, pitch is…
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.
