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 vessel unable through exceptional circumstances to manoeuvre as required by the collision regulations and therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel. The status concerns actual inability, not merely inconvenience, restricted visibility, difficult handling or a voluntary decision to stop. Causes can include steering or propulsion failure or another exceptional loss…
An official notice providing navigationally relevant changes or hazards for a defined local area. A harbour, coastguard, hydrographic or other competent authority may issue an LNM covering works, buoyage, depths, closures, events, hazards or operating restrictions. The name, publication schedule, geographic scope and legal effect vary between countries and authorities. Some information is temporary while…
The international radiotelephony spelling word for the letter N. It is used to spell call signs, identifiers and words clearly over voice radio when individual letters might otherwise be confused. The prescribed spoken form is represented as ‘NO VEM BER’, with emphasis indicated in official tables. In the International Code of Signals, a single flag…
A rhythmic light in which each period of light is longer than the total darkness within the same cycle.
In a direction forward of the vessel’s port beam and to the left of its heading. The expression gives a relative sector rather than an exact bearing. A contact anywhere between nearly dead ahead and nearly abeam to port may be described this way, with a relative bearing or clock bearing added when greater precision…
In a direction forward of the vessel’s starboard beam and to the right of its heading. The expression gives a relative sector rather than an exact bearing. A contact anywhere between nearly dead ahead and nearly abeam to starboard may be described this way, with a relative bearing or clock bearing added when greater precision…
In a direction abaft the vessel’s starboard beam and to the right of its centreline. The expression describes the relative sector between approximately abeam and astern on the starboard side rather than a single bearing. A more precise report can add relative bearing, clock position and distance. The sector moves with the vessel’s heading. A…
The international radiotelephony spelling word for the letter O. It is used to spell call signs, identifiers and words clearly over voice radio. The prescribed spoken form is represented as ‘OSS CAH’, with emphasis indicated in official pronunciation tables. In the International Code of Signals, the single flag O means ‘Man overboard’, a separate use…
A fixed structure carrying a navigational light intended to assist mariners by marking a position, route or hazard.
The standard spoken code word for the letter L in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “LEE-mah” and is used to spell names, call signs and other information clearly over marine radio. The same word is used in the NATO phonetic alphabet. Lima is also associated with International Code of Signals flag L,…
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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