NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Relative bearings
From: Bill B
Date: 2015 Apr 15, 15:31 -0400
From: Bill B
Date: 2015 Apr 15, 15:31 -0400
On 4/14/2015 9:41 PM, Lu Abel wrote: > A very favorite "trick" question on navigation exams is "You observe a > vessel off your port bow. Its relative bearing is decreasing. This > means the vessel will pass (a) ahead of you, (b) aft of you." Many will > answer "pass ahead" because they think the angle on the bow is decreasing. Funny. A variation is very handy for inland dinghy racing where one often finds themselves in a crossing situation without ROW. Is the other boat moving faster or slower relative to the shore? If faster you will pass astern, if slower you will safely cross their bow. Amazing how accurate it is even when the change of angle is verry small. It is also useful when converging on opposite tacks to weather. If you know you you would cross their bow several boat lengths ahead, it gives you the option of lee bowing a buddy if it is to your advantage.
