Coming soon
Anchoring & mooring
Ground tackle, anchor scope and the role of each mooring line.
Seamanship & Sailing
Seamanship & Sailing
Build the practical skills you use on board. Start by choosing a knot for the job; anchoring, boat handling and sailing lessons are on the way.
Tools and guides
- Points of sailYour point of sail is the angle between your heading and the direction the wind comes from.
- Parts of a sailing boatA sailing boat has a hull, steering gear, rigging and sails; port is left and starboard right when you face the bow.
- Anchoring scope calculatorAnchor scope is the length of rode divided by the vertical distance from the seabed to your bow roller.
- Man overboard: act, return, recoverA man-overboard emergency means keeping the person in sight, giving flotation, returning under control and recovering them without exposing anyone else to danger.
- Marine flares and distress signalsRed flares, orange smoke and the other COLREG Annex IV signals mean you are in distress and need help.
- Lifejackets and buoyancy aidsA lifejacket supports your airway; a buoyancy aid helps a conscious swimmer stay afloat and does not reliably turn you face-up.
Tie knots in the 3D studio
A virtual rope on your screen: watch each move, copy it, choose over or under and check your knot.
See every part in 3D
Open the ship parts explorer: four vessels from a dinghy to a cargo ship, layer by layer, with a drag-and-drop test.
Coming soon
Boat handling
Docking, turning and working with wind and current.
Coming soon
Sailing
Points of sail, tacking, gybing and sail trim.
Build on what you know
Content checked September 9, 2026
Free seamanship, safety and ship lessons
The ship: hull, engines and systems
Ship construction: structure, watertight integrity and dry-docking
Deck equipment and machinery: winches, cranes, hatches, watertight doors, pilot ladders and gangways
The marine diesel engine
Batteries, charging and electrics
Engine checks before you go, and outboard care
Gas and petrol safety aboard: LPG, fuel vapour and ventilation
Propulsion basics: how a boat is pushed
Remote control of the propulsion plant and engineering systems (STCW A-II/2)
Types of propulsion, one by one
Steering gear and autopilot: change-over, tests and drills (SOLAS V/26)
Cargo and stores (IMDG labels), painting, lubrication and routine maintenance
Surveys, certificates, maintenance and dry-docking
Steering, fuel, water and bilge systems
Engine trouble at sea: fuel, cooling and air
Ship stability and stowage
Cargo planning, hull stresses and stability management
Cargo securing and dangerous goods basics (CSS and IMDG Codes)
Centre of gravity and metacentric height (GM)
The GZ curve and the stability criteria (2008 IS Code)
Displacement, draught and hydrostatics
Load lines, freeboard and draught marks (Load Line Convention)
Loading, ballast and the stowage plan
Working stability on small ships: loading, free surface and trim
Why a boat stays upright: weight, buoyancy and righting lever
Damage stability calculations, longitudinal strength and the draught survey
Stress tables, loading instruments and partial loss of intact buoyancy
Trim, list and free surface
Yacht stability: metacentre, types of equilibrium, shifting weights, the GZ curve and AVS
Seamanship basics: ropes, knots and the boat
Deck work safely: snap-back zones, working aloft and over the side, enclosed spaces and permits to work (ratings)
Mooring lines and fenders: bow, stern and spring lines
Rope handling: coiling, cleating, winches and throwing a line
Rope materials, strength and care; basic splices
Ship mooring and anchoring stations: mooring and tug lines, safe working loads, the windlass and buoy mooring (STCW A-II/5)
Sailing and sail trim
Emergencies at sea
Abandoning ship: liferaft, grab bag and survival
Advanced fire fighting: control, organisation and investigation (STCW A-VI/3)
Search and rescue near the coast: IAMSAR for small ships
Drills: emergencies step by step
Emergency organisation on board and responding to distress (IAMSAR)
Leading the emergency response and coordinating search and rescue
Fast rescue boats: launching, handling and recovery (STCW A-VI/2-2)
Fire on board: prevention and fighting
Fire on ships: fire chemistry, ignition sources, detection and fixed systems (STCW A-VI/1-2)
Fighting fire: extinguishers, hoses, breathing apparatus and the fire party
Collision, grounding, flooding and damage control
Life-saving appliances: lifejackets, immersion suits, lifeboats and liferafts
Emergency types, alarm signals and muster lists (STCW A-VI/1-1)
Safety equipment and the crew safety briefing
Search and rescue: who to call and how help comes
Launching and handling survival craft and rescue boats (STCW A-VI/2-1)
Personal survival: abandoning, in the water and in survival craft
Medical care on board
Body structure, shock, electric shock and moving a casualty (STCW A-VI/1-3)
Hypothermia, cold-water immersion, drowning and heat illness
First aid and resuscitation
Wounds, burns and fractures
Medical care on board: treatment, nursing and death at sea (STCW A-VI/4-2)
Medical first aid (STCW A-VI/4-1): examining a casualty, toxic hazards (MFAG) and the ship's medical guide
The medicine chest and seasickness
Radio medical advice and evacuation
Maritime English and signals
Maritime law, rules and watchkeeping
SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW and the IMO conventions
Designated security duties: access control, searches and security equipment (STCW A-VI/6-2)
Flags, papers and cruising in foreign waters
Leadership, teamwork, fatigue and seafarers' rights (MLC)
The law of the sea, flag states and port state control
Leadership, crew management and training on board
Personal safety, social responsibilities and preventing violence and harassment (STCW A-VI/1-4)
Boating rules: licences, documents, required equipment and zones
Brazil: NORMAM-211 rules for recreational craft
Germany: the inland rules (BinSchStrO) where they differ from CEVNI
Germany: the seaways rules (SeeSchStrO): fairways, signals and right of way
Spain: navigation zones, required equipment and documents
France: safety equipment by distance from shelter (Division 240) and documents
Greece: speedboat rules, coastal limits and documents
Croatia: navigation areas, safety equipment and documents
India: the Merchant Shipping Act and DG Shipping requirements for deck officers
Italy: navigation limits, safety equipment and documents
The Netherlands: the inland rules (BPR), right of way and waterway signs
The Philippines: maritime law and MARINA requirements for deck officers
Portugal: navigation areas, safety equipment and documents
United States: federal rules for small passenger and uninspected vessels (46 CFR, 33 CFR)
Safety management on board: the ISM Code
Security awareness: the ISPS Code and security levels (STCW A-VI/6-1)- The master's business: certificates, port state control, ISM audits and the law
Ship security officer: the security plan, risk assessment and inspections (STCW A-VI/5)
Keeping a watch as a rating: helm orders in English and handovers (STCW A-II/4)
Safe watchkeeping and the bridge team (STCW Code A-VIII/2)