You wish to make good a course of 230°T...

Question 1 of 2921866636eea28f7522a1c51b8a1

You wish to make good a course of 230°T while turning for an engine speed of 12.5 knots. The set is 180°T, and the drift is 1.7 knots. What speed will you make good along the track line?

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Question 1 of 29218

You wish to make good a course of 230°T while turning for an engine speed of 12.5 knots. The set is 180°T, and the drift is 1.7 knots. What speed will you make good along the track line?

🔍 Key Concepts

• Current set and drift and how they affect course and speed made good • Constructing a current triangle (or vector triangle) using true course, ship’s speed through the water, and current vector • Finding speed made good along the desired track using vector components or the law of cosines

💭 Think About

• Think about how the current’s direction (set 180°T) compares to your desired course (230°T). Is it mostly helping, opposing, or acting from the side? • Draw or imagine a vector diagram: one vector for ship’s speed through the water on the desired track, one for the current, and the resulting vector is your course and speed made good. • Consider whether you are asked for speed through the water or speed along the track line. Which component of the resulting vector matters here?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be sure you are using the ship’s speed through the water (12.5 knots) as one vector and the drift (1.7 knots) as the other, not adding them blindly. • Check the angle between the track (230°T) and the current set (180°T); this angle determines how much of the current helps or hurts your speed along the track. • Verify your final speed made good is reasonable: it should not differ wildly from 12.5 knots given the relatively small current (1.7 knots).