🔍 Key Concepts

• Behavior of a towing bridle when the legs are too short but equal • How lead angle through chocks or fairleads changes as the tow line moves or surges • Relationship between leg length and strain on towing gear

💭 Think About

• Visualize the bridle from above and from the side: if both legs are short and equal, how does that affect their vertical and horizontal angle as the tow line comes taut? • Think about what happens at the chocks or fairleads when the tow wire rises and falls in a seaway—what is most likely to happen physically if there is not enough length in the legs? • Compare: which problem is mainly caused by unequal length, and which problem is more directly affected by overall shortness of both legs?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option is specifically related to legs being equal vs. unequal and eliminate the one that doesn’t match the question’s condition. • Ask yourself which effect would be most immediately visible at the chocks/fairleads when the tow snatches—motion, load distribution, or total strain. • Confirm that your choice directly results from the legs being too short, not from another design or operating error.