🔍 Key Concepts

• Identify what type of buoy is shown (look at colors and topmark shapes/direction) and recall what a north/south/east/west cardinal mark means in the IALA A system used in the Mediterranean. • Figure out on which side of that buoy the safe water lies, and therefore on which side your vessel should pass relative to the buoy. • Use the idea that for a fixed object, a steady bearing with decreasing range means risk of close approach; compare this with bearings that increase or decrease over time.

💭 Think About

• From the black and yellow color pattern and the two cones both pointing in a particular direction, which cardinal mark is this, and where is the danger in relation to the buoy? • Given your heading 039°T and the buoy bearing 053°T (slightly on your starboard bow), if you want to stay on the safe side of this specific cardinal mark, should you aim to have the buoy’s bearing move forward or move aft as you proceed? • Which of the answer choices gives you a clear rule to check by observing how the bearing changes over time, and does that match the safe side you identified for this buoy type?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be sure you correctly match the two black cones both pointing up/down/apart/together with the correct cardinal direction (N, E, S, W). • Confirm you know whether the safe water for that cardinal direction is to the same side as the name (e.g., north = safe water to the north of the mark). • Before choosing, mentally sketch your ship’s course line (039°T) and the line of bearing to the buoy (053°T) to see on which side of your track the buoy lies and how changing your course would affect whether the bearing increases or decreases.