You are steering 173°T, and a light is...

Question 1 of 31048fy_heal_CREATE_q357_2026

You are steering 173°T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 13.9 miles at 0054. You change course to pass the light 4.5 miles off abeam to port. If you are making 21 knots, what is your ETA at the position 4.5 miles off the light?

Back

Question 1 of 31048

🔍 Key Concepts

• Use the speed-distance-time relationship to find how long it takes to reach a point a certain distance from the light • Visualize the relative track of your vessel passing the light 4.5 miles abeam to port; think of a right triangle with the light at one corner • Understand that "abeam" means 90° from your heading at the closest point of approach to the light

💭 Think About

• How can you represent the initial 13.9-mile range to the light and the 4.5-mile closest distance as sides of a right triangle? Which side corresponds to the distance you actually travel from pickup to abeam? • Once you know the steaming distance to the abeam position, how do you convert that distance into time at 21 knots, and then add it to 0054? • Are you using nautical miles for distance and knots for speed consistently in your speed-distance-time calculation?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm that the distance you use in the time calculation is the distance run along your track, not the range to the light • Check that you correctly identify which side of the triangle is the closest point of approach (4.5 miles) and which is the initial range (13.9 miles) • After computing the time interval, carefully add minutes to 0054, watching for any hour change