What Is the RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course

The RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship (ENS) course is a beginner-level theory course that introduces the key principles of navigation and safety at sea. It’s designed for those who spend time on boats and other watercraft, whether as regular crew on a friend or family’s yacht, or on kayaks jet skis and other PWC. The goal is to understand more about what’s going on around them.

You don’t need any prior experience or knowledge. By the end, you’ll have the skills to be more useful, safer, and more confident when out on the water.

Who Is the Course For?

This course is ideal if you already go boating, perhaps as crew or a guest, and want to understand more about what the skipper is doing. It’s also great preparation for anyone thinking of taking the RYA Competent Crew practical course.

If your goal is to become a skipper and take charge of a yacht or powerboat, then the RYA Day Skipper Theory would be the next step — but you don’t need that yet. ENS is all about building a strong foundation first.

Can You Go Straight to the RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course?

No practical experience is required. Anyone, can indeed, go straight into an RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course.

How Is It Taught?

You can choose between a classroom course and an online course.

Classroom: Great for face-to-face learning and meeting others.

Online: Perfect if you want flexibility to study at your own speed.

At Ardent Training, we combine the best of both worlds. Every lesson includes engaging videos, clear diagrams, and text explanations. You’ll also have access to live instructor support every day of the week, a student forum, and discussion features that make it feel like a true classroom experience.

How Long Does an RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course Take?

The RYA recommends around 15 hours of study time. You can complete this in a classroom over two days or online at your own pace. With Ardent Training, you’ll have access for 12 months, so you can take your time, review lessons, and revisit topics whenever you need.

What Will You Learn?

The course covers the essentials of seamanship, safety, and navigation in an easy-to-follow way. You’ll learn how to read a chart, identify buoys, and understand tides, weather, and basic collision regulations. You’ll also look at how to plan a short trip and what to do if things don’t go to plan.

Topics include:

• Charts and publications

• Buoyage and navigation

• Tides and tidal heights

• Safety equipment and checks

• Rules of the road (IRPCS)

• Anchoring and pilotage

• Weather forecasts

• Passage planning

The aim isn’t to turn you into a skipper, it’s to make you a more confident, knowledgeable, and valuable crew member/personal watercraft user.

What Is the Cost of an RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course?

At Ardent Training, the RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship online course costs £169, which includes:

• A 12-month access period

• All RYA training materials

• Direct instructor support 7 days a week

• Access to discussion boards and a student community

Why Take This Course?

If you enjoy being out on the water, this course helps you:

• Understand what’s happening around you

• Communicate confidently with the skipper

• Anticipate what’s coming next

• Take a more active role

• Enjoy your time afloat even more

It’s the perfect way to turn time on the water from “just along for the ride” into “part of the team.”

Is There an Exam?

No formal exam! The course is assessed continuously by your instructor, ensuring you reach a good standard of understanding across all topics. You’ll finish with a solid grounding in navigation and seamanship, ready to put your knowledge into practice on the water.

What Comes After RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship Course?

After completing the ENS course, most students move on to the RYA Competent Crew practical course, a hands-on experience that lets you apply what you’ve learned and really get involved on board.

If, later on, you decide you’d like to become a skipper, you’ll already have a strong foundation to build upon when you start the RYA Day Skipper Theory course.