USCG Exam PracticeEstimated position from current set & drift
A vessel is steering 090°T at 10 knots through the water. A current with a set of 180°T and a drift of 2 knots is acting on the vessel. What is the effect on the vessel's track over the ground?
- A. The vessel will make good a course to the north of 090°T
- ✓ The vessel will make good a course to the south of 090°TCorrect
- C. The vessel's speed over ground will increase to 12 knots with no change in track
- D. The vessel will make good a course to the west of 090°T
Why B is correct
Set is the direction toward which the current flows (Bowditch Ch. 23 §2302). A current setting 180°T displaces the vessel southward, so the course made good will be to the south of the intended course of 090°T. The vector sum of course through water and current vector yields the actual course over ground (Bowditch Ch. 24 §2402).