🔍 Key Concepts

• Racetrack turn vs. Williamson turn – how they differ in shape and use • The point in the racetrack maneuver where you stop turning and steady up on an intermediate course • How far you must be from your original heading before lining up for the final approach back to the man overboard

💭 Think About

• Picture the racetrack shape from above: initial straight leg, constant-rate turn, then a parallel return leg. At what heading change would you be roughly set up to run back past your original track? • Compare this with a Williamson turn: that one uses a very specific first steady heading. Is the racetrack turn’s steadying point smaller, the same, or larger than that? • Think about how much turning is needed so your wake or track on the plot is parallel (or nearly parallel) to the original course line.

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on which maneuver the question is asking about: racetrack turn, not Williamson • Ask yourself: at this heading change, would my new course be reasonably set to bring me back alongside or parallel to my original track? • Visualize or sketch the track and confirm that the chosen angle produces a racetrack-shaped loop, not just a single U-turn.