USCG Exam PracticeDanger bearings and danger circles
The three LOPs of a three-bearing fix form a large cocked hat, and one corner of the triangle lies close to a charted shoal. Per Bowditch, which position should the navigator assume for safety?
- ✓ The corner of the cocked hat nearest the shoalCorrect
- B. The centre of the cocked hat triangle
- C. The corner of the cocked hat farthest from the shoal
- D. The DR position at the time of the fix
Why A is correct
Bowditch Ch. 7 §705 states that where the triangle lies near a hazard, the corner nearest the danger is assumed for safety. This conservative assumption accounts for the possibility that the true position is at the worst-case vertex of the error triangle.
Cited:Bowditch Ch. 7 §705