🔍 Key Concepts

• Using three compass bearings to get a fix by plotting lines of position (LOPs) • Converting a standard magnetic compass bearing to the reference you use on the chart (true or magnetic) before plotting • Plotting the reciprocal bearing from each light to get the correct LOP direction through your vessel’s position

💭 Think About

• How do you turn a bearing "per standard magnetic compass" into a line you can draw on the chart from a known object? What corrections must you apply first, if any are given on the exam chart? • Once you have three LOPs from Cape Henry Light, Cape Charles Light, and Chesapeake Light, where do they intersect on the chart, and how close is that point to each of the four position choices? • Before choosing, look at which answer is obviously far away from the Chesapeake entrance area and which three are clustered near the cape lights. Which cluster is closest to the plotted three‑bearing fix?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be sure you are plotting the reciprocal of the bearing from the light toward your vessel, not the bearing from your vessel toward the light. • Confirm you used the same reference (true/magnetic) on both the chart and your plotted bearings; apply variation and deviation if those values are provided on the exam materials. • After plotting the fix, compare your latitude and longitude carefully to the options, watching minutes and tenths of minutes so you don’t mix up similar-looking answers.