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.
The continuous watch maintained by sight, hearing and all appropriate available means to detect and assess relevant hazards. A lookout may be a specifically assigned person or a duty shared within a watch, depending on vessel, conditions and applicable requirements. The task includes detecting vessels, lights, shapes, sound signals, navigation marks, floating objects, weather and…
A nine-digit identity transmitted by maritime radio systems to identify a ship, coast station, group or other assigned station type. MMSIs are used by systems including digital selective calling and AIS. Their digit patterns vary by identity type; a ship-station MMSI normally begins with three Maritime Identification Digits identifying the responsible administration, while coast, group,…
A principal upright or near-upright spar or structure that supports sails, rigging or equipment aboard a vessel. A sailing mast carries sail and rig loads through standing and running rigging and may be deck-stepped or keel-stepped. Power vessels also use masts for lights, antennas, radar, signals and sensors, and construction may be timber, aluminium, steel…
A white navigation light showing over the forward sector of a vessel. Despite its name, a masthead light need not be positioned at the physical top of a mast. It is carried over the vessel’s fore-and-aft centreline and shows from directly ahead to a specified distance abaft the beam on each side. It forms part…
The spoken radiotelephony distress signal indicating grave and imminent danger and a need for immediate assistance. Mayday is used for emergencies such as a vessel sinking, a serious fire or an immediate threat to life. The word derives from the French expression m’aidez, meaning “help me”, and is normally spoken three times at the start…
The standard spoken code word for the letter K in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “KEY-loh” 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. Kilo is also associated with International Code of Signals flag K,…
A navigation mark that indicates the side of a channel or recognised route. Lateral marks use colour, shape, topmarks and light characteristics to identify the port and starboard sides in the conventional direction of buoyage. They may be floating buoys or fixed beacons, posts and piles. The colours and shapes assigned to port and starboard…
A pair or series of separated lights that define a navigational leading line when seen in vertical alignment.
A traditional warning call made as a sailing vessel begins or commits to a tack. The call alerts the crew that the bow will pass through the wind and that the sails, boom and sheets will change sides. It commonly follows a readiness call such as ‘Ready about’, but wording and exact timing vary between…
The standard spoken code word for the letter I in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “IN-dee-ah” 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. India is also associated with International Code of Signals flag I,…
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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