Skip to main content
CaptainsGround
Chart Plotting · Exam prep

Leeway allowance in plotting

Allowing for leeway — the downwind displacement of a vessel from her steered course caused by wind on the hull and superstructure — and applying that allowance when plotting the course to steer.

Every answer cited & verifiedAll 4 USCG exam modules4,000+ judge-verified questions

Exam frequency

40%

Difficulty

3/5

Drill questions

7

Source excerpts

Bowditch Ch. 8 §801

Bowditch Ch. 8 §801 — Dead Reckoning A dead-reckoning (DR) plot projects the vessel's position from the last fix using only course steered and distance run through the water, ignoring current and leeway. A new DR position is plotted at every course change, at every speed change, at the time of each fix, and at least once each hour — more often in pilot waters.

Drill this topic

Can you pick the right answer under pressure?

Try a sample question

A navigational error check performed after a running fix reveals the vessel is set to the north of the DR position. According to Bowditch, which of the following is a recognized source of such cumulative navigational error?

No sign-up needed.

Practice this rule

Sign in to drill 7 questions and read the full lesson with citation popovers.

Start drilling in 30 seconds. Free.

No signup, no credit card — answer 5 real, cited exam questions right now.