RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Course – ONLINE

RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship course - Online version

About the course

 

The online version of the RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Course is an entry-level shorebased course that provides a practical introduction to navigation and safety for anyone new to boating. It is designed to give learners a solid grounding in fundamental skills and knowledge needed to safely enjoy time on the water, whether by sail, powerboat, motor cruiser, or even paddlecraft. The course is typically delivered over two days in a classroom setting or (with the this option) can be completed online at your own pace through interactive modules and exercises.

The course syllabus covers a wide range of essential boating topics. Students learn the basics of nautical charts, symbols, and tidal information, including how to understand tidal heights and streams to plan a safe journey. Introduction to basic navigation techniques, simple plotting, bearings, and estimating positions are core elements. Weather awareness is also covered, giving learners the tools to interpret forecasts and make informed boating decisions. Other key topics include buoyage and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), helping students recognise navigation marks and understand the “rules of the road” on the water.

Safety is a strong focus throughout. The course explains the use of lifejackets, VHF radio, distress signals, and emergency equipment. Students also get an overview of anchoring, seasickness prevention, basic engine checks, and safe passage planning. By the end of the course, participants have a toolkit of essential knowledge to support further training or independent boating.

The RYA Essential Navigation & Seamanship Course is aimed at complete beginners or those who want a structured, confidence-building introduction to navigation and safety. It is ideal for new boat owners, crew members wanting to be more involved on board, paddleboarders, dinghy sailors, or anyone taking their first steps into boating. It also provides a useful stepping stone toward higher-level courses like RYA Day Skipper Theory or is a great follow-on from  Powerboat Level 2. Whether you’re planning short trips on inland waterways or exploring the coast, this course helps make boating safer and more enjoyable.

(Note: When you book this course we will send you the course pack that supports the course. This may take 5 – 7 days but you can start the online course before you receive the pack.)

Book your online course

This is an online course so all you need to do is to select the version according to whether you are UK based or we need to send your pack overseas, you then pay and we will send your login details and instructions for taking the course and of course send you out your course pack. The logins will arrive the next business day as we need to manually set you up for this course. We're always really keen to chat to you when you’re booking a course as whilst we are happy to take bookings through this system for your convenience - nothing beats chatting about boats and courses! Whilst this is an online course you will be prompted for a date, just leave the date it gives you as it doesn't matter what date is selected. Select as many spaces as you need and then follow the booking process.

UK Customers. Purchase this course by selecting this button. (NOTE: To keep our booking system happy use today's date for the course start and end date.) Book now
Overseas Customers. Purchase this course by selecting this button - this will cost an additional £25 for delivery by courier. (NOTE: To keep our booking system happy use today's date for the course start and end date.) Book now
For information... When you make a booking using this system please be aware that we need to set you up on the online system to get started on the course. This is a manual process and at the latest we will do this the next working day.   Emails...Once you have finished the process you will receive a variety of emails. If you do not get any then please check your spam folder and if there is nothing there then please let us know.   Your logon details and course pack...We will send you your logon details and also send out the course pack to you. If you are buying the version for overseas customers then obviously this pack may take a little while to get to you. You don't need to wait for the pack though and can get cracking with the online course before the pack arrives.
These courses are booked for us by our partner school - Powerboat Training UK