You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133? T, and bears 343? T at 92 miles from you. What is the time to intercept if you make 9 knots?
• Relative motion between your vessel and vessel A • Using speed = distance ÷ time when both vessels are moving • Breaking the situation into components of motion along the line of sight
• First sketch the relative positions and courses: where are you, and where is vessel A moving relative to you? • Ask yourself: along the bearing line between you and vessel A, what is the closing speed between the two vessels? • Once you know the closing speed, how do you turn that into time to cover the initial 92 miles of separation?
• Be sure you use relative speed along the line of bearing, not just add or subtract 6 and 9 knots blindly • Double‑check your angle between vessel A’s course (133° T) and the line from A to you (opposite of 343° T) before finding components • After finding closing speed in knots, convert time carefully to hours and minutes, watching for rounding errors
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