Navigation lights
Practical guides to the COLREGS, buoyage, lights and shapes, and exam prep - written to be useful at the chart table, not just in the classroom.
Day Shapes Decoded: Balls, Cones and Diamonds Explained
Every COLREGS day shape demystified: what each ball, cone, diamond and cylinder means, which rule governs it, and how to remember them for your exam.
Rule 18 Explained: The Vessel Hierarchy Every Skipper Must Know
Rule 18 sets out who keeps clear of whom at sea. Master the vessel hierarchy from NUC to power-driven vessels and understand where other rules take precedence.
Reading a Vessel's Aspect at Night From Its Navigation Lights
Learn how arc angles reveal heading and aspect at night, which light combinations mean what, and the mistakes that catch skippers out.
RYA Day Skipper Theory: The COLREGS You'll Actually Be Tested On
Which COLREGS rules dominate the Day Skipper theory exam, the traps that catch candidates out, and a practical 4-week prep plan.
Rule 14: Recognising a Head-On and the Starboard Reflex
How to identify a head-on situation at night, why Rule 14's in-doubt clause matters, and why starboard is always the right turn.
Rule 13 Overtaking: The Rule That Overrides All Others
Rule 13 makes every overtaking vessel give-way, full stop. Here's how to identify an overtaking situation, apply the stern-light test, and know when you're finally clear.
Rule 12 Explained: Which Sailing Vessel Gives Way?
Port tack, starboard tack, windward boat - Rule 12 ranks them all. Here's how to apply the hierarchy confidently at sea and in exams.