You take a bearing of 264° of a lighthouse. Which bearing of another object would give the best fix?
• Line of position (LOP) from a bearing forms a straight line on the chart along which your vessel lies • For a good fix, the angle between two LOPs should be as close to 90° as practical • Bearings that are nearly parallel give poor fixes because the LOPs intersect at a shallow angle
• First, sketch or imagine the 264° bearing as a line on your chart. What direction is that line pointing? • Now look at each choice: which bearing would create a line that intersects your 264° line at close to a right angle (about 90°)? • Which choice gives a bearing that is clearly not almost parallel or directly opposite to 264°?
• Calculate or estimate the difference in degrees between 264° and each option • Remember: angles close to 0° or 180° between LOPs are poor, angles close to 90° are best • Verify you’re comparing the smallest angle between the two directions (always between 0° and 180°)
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