🔍 Key Concepts

• Effect of current direction on a vessel’s actual path over the ground • Relationship between ship’s heading (direction the bow points) and course over ground (actual track) • Understanding cardinal directions: north, east, south, west and how they interact

💭 Think About

• Visualize your vessel’s bow pointing north on a chart, then draw an arrow showing water flowing toward the east. Which way will the water tend to set the vessel? • Ask yourself: if you were walking straight north on a moving walkway that’s sliding east, where would your actual track go relative to where you are pointing? • Think about the relative directions: is the current acting on your starboard side, port side, bow, or stern when it flows east while you are heading north?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm which side of the vessel is starboard (right when facing the bow) and which side is port (left when facing the bow) • Verify that an easterly current means the water is flowing toward the east, not coming from the east • Check whether a current normally changes your heading or your track over the ground (and what effect that has on these answer choices)