🔍 Key Concepts

• Dangerous semicircle vs. navigable semicircle of a tropical storm in the Northern Hemisphere • The typical counterclockwise wind circulation around a low-pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere • How to maneuver to avoid being set toward the storm center when you have ample sea room

💭 Think About

• First, picture the storm center and its counterclockwise wind flow in the Northern Hemisphere. If you are on the dangerous semicircle, which side of the track are you on relative to the storm’s movement? • Ask yourself: in the dangerous semicircle, do you want to move so that your ship is carried toward the storm center or away from it? That will tell you where to keep the wind relative to your bow/quarters. • Think about how placing the wind on a particular bow or quarter changes your ship’s course relative to the storm’s track—which option tends to move you away from the storm’s path rather than across or into it?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm which hemisphere you are in; wind circulation around lows is opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. • Verify what is meant by "dangerous semicircle": it is the side where the storm’s forward motion adds to the wind, and where you are more likely to be set toward the center if you choose the wrong maneuver. • Check which choice places the wind so that, as you make headway, your resulting course tends to increase your distance from the storm’s eye, not decrease it.