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.Signals and communication in the marine world are like a game of charades with the ocean as your stage. Picture a crew furiously waving flags screaming, “We’re out of snacks!” while another ship squints, trying to decode whether that’s a distress call or just terrible semaphore skills. Horns blast at decibels high enough to wake Poseidon, with meanings ranging from “I’m turning left” to “Move it or lose it!” And let’s not forget Morse code—nothing says “urgent message” like blinking a flashlight at a seagull for hours. Meanwhile, the VHF radio crackles with static and a dozen accents yelling about the weather, leaving everyone more confused than enlightened. It’s a symphony of organised chaos where somehow, miraculously, no one crashes into an iceberg. Usually.
A semaphore procedural signal indicating that subsequent positions are to be read as letters rather than numerals. It ends the numeric interpretation introduced by Numbers Follow and restores the normal alphabetic meaning of the shared positions A to I and K. The change signal should be made distinctly so the receiver does not mistake a…
A semaphore procedural signal indicating that part of the transmission was sent incorrectly and will be corrected. The entry’s earlier reference to repeating the letter E eight times belongs to a different signalling convention and should not be used as the definition of a two-flag semaphore position. This entry overlaps the existing Error (Flag Semaphore)…
A visual signalling system in which a person holds two flags at prescribed angles to represent characters and procedural signals. Letters are formed by combinations of the two arm positions. Numerals reuse selected letter positions after a Numbers Follow signal, while separate signals control readiness, spacing, errors and cancellation. Semaphore requires a clear line of…
A semaphore position used to indicate readiness and, in context, a pause, space or rest between parts of a message. The signaller uses the prescribed position to show that transmission can begin or to separate message elements. Its interpretation depends on where it appears and the signalling procedure being followed. The sending and receiving stations…
A semaphore procedural signal instructing the receiver to disregard the preceding transmission or identified part of it. It is used when material already sent should not be acted upon, rather than merely correcting a single mis-sent character. The sender should restart or continue only after the cancellation is understood under the procedure in use. The…
A semaphore procedural signal telling the receiver that the preceding character or group was sent incorrectly. The sender makes the recognised error signal, then repeats or corrects the affected part of the message according to the signalling procedure in use. It should not be confused with simply waving both flags without an agreed meaning. Clear…
A semaphore procedural signal indicating that subsequent alphabet positions are to be read as numerals. Semaphore numerals reuse the positions for letters A to I as 1 to 9 and K as 0. Sending Numbers Follow changes the interpretation without changing those physical flag positions. Letters Follow returns the transmission to alphabetic interpretation. Procedural signals…
A two-flag semaphore position representing the letter B. The signaller holds one flag in each hand at the prescribed angles illustrated in the entry. The receiver reads the position from the signaller’s front, so viewing direction and clear separation between successive characters are important. After the Numbers Follow signal, the same position represents the numeral…
A two-flag semaphore position representing the numeral 3 after the Numbers Follow signal. The physical position is the same as semaphore letter C. The preceding procedural signal tells the receiver to interpret it as 3 rather than C. The signaller holds one flag in each hand at the prescribed angles illustrated in the entry. The…
A two-flag semaphore position representing the letter D. The signaller holds one flag in each hand at the prescribed angles illustrated in the entry. The receiver reads the position from the signaller’s front, so viewing direction and clear separation between successive characters are important. After the Numbers Follow signal, the same position represents the numeral…
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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