USCG Exam PracticePlot true course and distance between two charted points
A vessel steers 090°T at 10 knots for 1 hour. At the end of that hour, a fix places the vessel 1.0 NM north of the DR position. Applying Bowditch definitions, which statement correctly identifies set and drift for that hour?
- ✓ Set 000°T, drift 1.0 knotCorrect
- B. Set 180°T, drift 1.0 knot
- C. Set 090°T, drift 1.0 knot
- D. Set 000°T, drift 0.5 knot
Why A is correct
Bowditch Ch. 23 §2302 defines set as the direction toward which the current is flowing and drift as its speed. The fix is 1.0 NM north of the DR position after 1 hour, meaning the current carried the vessel northward at 1.0 knot; therefore set is 000°T and drift is 1.0 knot.
Cited:Bowditch Ch. 23 §2302