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 depositional landform built where a river delivers sediment into a sea, lake or other relatively still body of water. As flow slows, sediment is deposited and the river may divide into distributary channels. Delta shape and growth depend on sediment supply, waves, tides, currents, sea level and human alteration. For navigation, deltas may contain…
The vessel’s path through the water after allowing for leeway but before applying tidal or other current. In traditional chartwork, compass course is corrected to true and adjusted for leeway to obtain the water track. Adding the current vector then gives the predicted ground track, so the construction separates motion relative to the water from…
The periodic change in sea level produced principally by the gravitational interaction of the Moon, Sun and Earth and by the Earth’s rotation. Astronomical tide is the predictable sum of many constituents whose periods and amplitudes vary by location because of basin shape, depth and coastline. It produces high and low waters and is related…
Published predictions of tidal times and heights for stated locations, dates and reference datums. Tables commonly list high and low water for standard ports and provide corrections or direct predictions for secondary locations. They may also include tidal curves, coefficients, time-zone information and explanatory notes, but tidal streams are often published separately. The correct year,…
A set of charts showing predicted tidal-current direction and rate at successive stages of a tidal cycle. Arrows show set and figures commonly give spring and neap rates for hourly intervals before and after a reference port’s high water. Some atlases use different time references, symbols or interpolation methods, so the legend and edition govern…
The horizontal movement of water associated with the astronomical tide. A tidal stream is described by its set, the direction towards which it flows, and its rate, usually in knots. It may reverse between flood and ebb, rotate continuously or form eddies, and its timing need not coincide with local high and low water. Predicted…
A tidal reference location for which independent predictions of high- and low-water times and heights are published. A standard port provides the base data from which published corrections can be applied to associated secondary ports. The exact prediction method, time zone, datum, interval and available stream information depend on the responsible hydrographic publication. It is…
A period in the astronomical tidal cycle when the range between successive high and low waters is relatively large. Springs generally occur near new and full moon when lunar and solar tide-generating effects reinforce one another. The name refers to the tide springing or rising more strongly and has no connection with the season of…
The difference in height between mean high water springs and mean low water springs. It represents the average tidal range around spring tides at a particular standard port, derived from observations rather than from one individual high and low water. Spring ranges are generally greater than neap ranges because solar and lunar tidal influences reinforce…
A period when the horizontal tidal current at a particular location is weak or changing direction. Slack water can occur near the change between flood and ebb, but its time need not coincide with local high or low water because tidal height and horizontal flow respond differently. In rotary tidal streams the current may turn…
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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