As you enter Chesapeake Bay, visibility improves. At 2235 you are between Chesapeake Channel Buoys "5" and "6" in the 41 foot dredged section of Chesapeake Channel. At that time, you change course to pass between buoys "9" and "10". If buoys "11" and "12" are extinguished, what would be your best leading light to keep you in deep water in the Chesapeake Channel, as you approach the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel?
• Aids to Navigation in Channels – especially how buoys mark the edges and how ranges/leading lights mark the centerline of a dredged channel • Chesapeake Bay entrance layout – relative positions of Chesapeake Channel, Thimble Shoal Light, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel trestles • Leading lights (ranges) – using two fixed lights in line to stay on a safe course in deep water when lateral buoys are missing or extinguished
• From buoys 5 and 6 toward 9 and 10, picture (or sketch) the general direction of your track and which structure or light would line up most nearly with the dredged channel centerline • Ask which light or structure is purpose-built to mark the main ship channel in that area, rather than just marking the edge of a bridge trestle • Think about color: if you are trying to stay in the middle of a marked channel, would you want a light that aligns with only one side of the channel, or a feature that marks the main fairway? Why?
• Verify which of the options is a major navigational aid for the main shipping channel into Chesapeake Bay, not just a local light on bridge structure • Check which option can actually serve as a usable leading line with your intended course from buoys 5/6 to 9/10 as you approach the bridge-tunnel • Consider whether a red or green fixed light on a trestle alone would keep you safely in deep water if both pairs of channel buoys ahead were extinguished
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