While on a course of 349°T, a light bears...

Question 1 of 2707066636ee928f7522a1c519495

While on a course of 349°T, a light bears 13° on the starboard bow at a distance of 10.8 miles. What course should you steer to pass 2.5 miles abeam of the light leaving it to starboard?

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Question 1 of 27070

While on a course of 349°T, a light bears 13° on the starboard bow at a distance of 10.8 miles. What course should you steer to pass 2.5 miles abeam of the light leaving it to starboard?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Relative bearing vs. true course – how a light bearing 13° on the starboard bow relates to your heading of 349°T • Right triangle/offset problem – own ship track as one side, desired closest point of approach (CPA) as a perpendicular offset from the light • Using basic trigonometry to relate distance to CPA (2.5 miles) and present range (10.8 miles) to find the required change in course

💭 Think About

• If the light is 13° on your starboard bow, what is its true bearing from you now, and how does that look on a sketch with your current track? • Draw a right triangle with the light at one vertex, your present position at another, and your future CPA point (2.5 miles abeam) at the third. Which angle in that triangle corresponds to the course you must steer? • Compare the angle you compute with your current course of 349°T. Should the new course be to the right or left, and by about how many degrees?

✅ Before You Answer

• Carefully distinguish between relative bearing (13° on starboard bow) and true bearing when you set up your geometry • Verify which side of the triangle represents the 10.8-mile current range and which side represents the 2.5-mile abeam distance (CPA) before using trigonometric functions • Before choosing an answer, check: does the course you’re considering keep the light on your starboard side at the point of abeam passage, and does the geometry give an offset of about 2.5 miles?