You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 4.5 knots on course 233°T, and bears 264°T, 68 miles from you. What is the time to intercept if you make 13 knots?
• Relative motion between two moving vessels (one not stationary) • Using the law of cosines or vector triangles to find closing speed • Converting time from hours (decimal) to hours and minutes
• First, sketch the situation: your position, vessel A’s track, and the line of bearing from you to vessel A. What angle exists between A’s course and the line joining you to A? • From that sketch, think: what is the relative speed between you and A along the line of approach, given your speed and A’s speed and the angle between your track and A’s? • Once you find the relative closing speed, how do you turn 68 miles and that speed into time, and then into hours and minutes that match the choices?
• Be sure you use relative speed, not just your 13 knots alone, because vessel A is also moving. • Carefully compute the angle between A’s course (233°T) and the bearing from you to A (264°T) before using any cosine relationships. • After getting time in hours (e.g., 6.78 h), convert the decimal part to minutes by multiplying by 60 minutes/hour, then compare with the answer choices.
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