BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND You see a vessel displaying three lights in a vertical line. The highest and lowest lights are red and the middle light is white. She is also showing a white light at the stern, which is lower than the forward light. Which vessel could you be observing?
• Review the Navigation Rules – Lights and Shapes, especially the definitions for vessels not under command, aground, and restricted in their ability to maneuver. • Think about what three all-round lights in a vertical line (red–white–red) indicate, and how that differs from two all-round red lights or red over white combinations. • Consider how the presence of a stern light lower than the forward light tells you whether the vessel is making way through the water or not making way.
• Which vessel status is indicated by red–white–red all-round lights in a vertical line? Compare that to the lights shown by a vessel not under command and by a vessel aground. • Pilot vessels have a very specific light pattern. Ask yourself: does a pilot vessel normally show red–white–red in a vertical line, or something different? • If a vessel is aground, what extra lights (and/or shapes by day) does she show compared with a vessel just restricted in her ability to maneuver? Do those match the description in the question?
• Verify in the Navigation Rules what two all-round red lights mean versus three all-round lights red–white–red. • Confirm which of the answer choices is defined as being restricted in her ability to maneuver and what light pattern that status uses. • Double-check that the presence of a stern light indicates the vessel is underway and making way, and think about which of the listed vessel types fits that condition with the given light configuration.
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