A Revision Checklist For The Season Ahead
- Reece Smith-ward
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
A new season on the water tends to arrive faster than expected. Before the days fill up with passages, moorings, and time afloat, it is worth setting aside a few quiet evenings to refresh the theory that underpins it all. Revision does not need to be daunting. A short, focused checklist can bring the essentials back into view and highlight the topics that have gone a little rusty since last year.
This guide pairs a handful of theory topics worth revisiting with the Maritime Master apps that help you study each one. Treat it as a study checklist rather than operational advice. Every one of these apps is available on the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad, so you can revise on the sofa, on the train, or anywhere a spare half hour appears.
The Rules Of The Road
The collision regulations sit at the heart of everything else, so they are a natural place to begin. The Maritime Master COLREGs app covers all Rules 1 to 38 and the annexes, presenting each one in plain English alongside the convention wording. Scenario diagrams help the rules make sense in context, a night lights view brings the relevant signals into view, and quizzes and flashcards let you test what has stuck. Use it to build understanding rather than to make decisions afloat. Maritime Master COLREGs is a one-time purchase.
Navigation Lights And Day Shapes
Recognising what you are looking at, by night or by day, is a skill that rewards regular practice. Maritime Master Nav Lights presents COLREG navigation lights and day shapes on 3D vessels you can orbit from any aspect, with each configuration carrying its rule reference so you can connect the picture to the regulation behind it. Two quiz modes help you check your recall. This is for study only and not for identifying vessels at sea. Nav Lights is a one-time purchase.
Buoyage And Marks
Buoyage is easy to take for granted until you meet an unfamiliar mark. Maritime Master IALA Buoyage covers sixteen marks across both regions, with animated night lights, five quiz modes, and a light simulator that writes the chart notation as you go. Helpful as that simulator is, it is not a substitute for an approved course. The app is for study only and not for identifying marks at sea. IALA Buoyage is a one-time purchase.
Tides And Timing
A little tidal awareness goes a long way when you are planning ahead. TideDeck offers on-device tide times and charts for anywhere on Earth, which makes it a useful tool for planning and for satisfying curiosity about how the water moves. Predictions are exact at 1,302 measured US stations and modelled elsewhere. It is important to be clear about what this is: a planning and interest tool, not for navigation. It is not a nautical publication, and it does not account for surge, wind, or currents, so it can never stand in for official tidal predictions. TideDeck is free to download, with an optional TideDeck Pro upgrade.
Knots Worth Knowing
Knots are one of those skills that fade without use. Maritime Master Knots presents forty two essential knots as animated real-time 3D rope, with numbered step by step instructions and Ashley Book of Knots references so you can follow each one closely. It is a learning aid, and knots deserve a particular word of caution. Knots are safety equipment. Practise with real rope, never rely on any app alone where a knot bears load or protects life, and seek qualified in-person instruction for climbing, rescue, and working at height. Maritime Master Knots is a one-time purchase.
Pulling It Together
If you would like a single companion that draws several of these threads together, Maritime Master Skipper is a free day skipper theory app. It includes interactive chartwork covering position fixing, dead reckoning, and course to steer, along with tides, the COLREGs, IALA buoyage for both regions, and meteorology. It works offline and is designed as a study companion that supports a shorebased course rather than replacing one. Skipper is free to download.
For Study Only
One thing to keep in mind throughout. These are study, learning, and revision aids only. They are not for real-world navigation and not a substitute for approved training or equipment. Real navigation is governed by official charts, publications, and proper training. Use these apps to revise and understand the theory, then bring that understanding to formal instruction and to time spent afloat under proper supervision.
