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 slender, upright floating marker used to make a position conspicuous on the water. A dan buoy typically has a weighted or ballasted lower section and a pole carrying a flag, light or reflective material. Fishing versions mark gear; emergency versions can be deployed near a person-overboard position and may incorporate flotation or other recovery…
The standard spoken code word for the letter D in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “DELL-tah” and is used to spell names, call signs and other information clearly over marine radio. The same standard word is used in the NATO phonetic alphabet. Delta is also associated with International Code of Signals flag…
A powerful compressed-air sound signal that produces a distinctive low-pitched blast. A diaphone uses a slotted reciprocating piston to interrupt the air flow. Many installations produce a characteristic descending or grunting note at the end of the blast, and paired units can create a two-tone signal. Diaphones were widely installed at lighthouses and fog-signal stations…
To lower a vessel’s ensign temporarily as a traditional maritime salute. The ensign is lowered part-way or, where the arrangement permits, close to the deck, then re-hoisted after the salute is acknowledged. The custom is most often associated with a merchant vessel saluting a warship or with formal maritime occasions. Flag etiquette and who may…
The conventional direction used to determine the port-hand and starboard-hand sides of a buoyed route. It is generally the direction followed when approaching a harbour, river, estuary or other waterway from seaward. Where a route runs along a coast or has several branches, the competent authority determines the direction and charts may show it with…
A navigation light visible over a restricted sector and used to indicate a particular direction.
The standard spoken code word for the letter C in the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet. It is pronounced “CHAR-lee” and is used to spell names, call signs and other information clearly over marine radio. The same standard word is used in the NATO phonetic alphabet. Charlie is also associated with International Code of Signals flag…
The United Kingdom service that initiates and coordinates civil maritime and coastal search and rescue. HM Coastguard is part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Its coordination centres receive and assess distress information, task suitable resources and coordinate responses involving coastguard rescue teams, lifeboats, helicopters, ships and other emergency services within the UK search-and-rescue arrangements….
A power-driven vessel severely restricted in its ability to leave its course because of its draught in relation to the available navigable water. The status depends on both depth and width: a deep-draught vessel in a channel may be unable to alter course without losing adequate under-keel clearance or leaving the water it can safely…
The appropriate flag of a host state flown by a visiting vessel in accordance with local law and maritime custom. It is normally hoisted after clearance or entry into the host state’s waters at the position customary for a foreign national flag, often the starboard spreader on a yacht. The correct design may be a…
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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