Chart Navigation & Plotting · Leeway
A strong wind on the port beam pushes your vessel to starboard of its heading. To make good the intended track, the helmsman should:
- AIgnore leeway because it cancels over time
- BSteer downwind by the leeway angle
- CSteer up into the wind by the estimated leeway angle so the track over ground matches the intended course✓ Correct
- DReduce speed until leeway disappears
Explanation
Leeway is the downwind drift caused by wind acting on the hull and topsides. With wind on the port beam pushing the vessel to starboard, the navigator crabs into the wind (heads up to port) by the leeway angle so the resulting track matches the intended course.
Authority: Bowditch (Pub. No. 9), leeway
Practice the full Chart Navigation & Plotting bank
Free spaced-repetition quizzing across 2190 USCG exam questions — it schedules your reviews so the ones you miss come back until they stick.
Related Chart Navigation & Plotting questions
- Leeway
Leeway is the difference between the vessel's:
- Leeway
Leeway is the angular difference between a vessel's heading and her track caused by:
- Chart Basics
On a Mercator chart, one nautical mile is measured using the:
- Chart Basics
The principal advantage of the Mercator projection for navigation is that:
- Chart Basics
Charted depths (soundings) on a U.S. chart are referenced to which tidal datum?
- Chart Basics
Vertical clearances of bridges and overhead cables on a U.S. chart are normally referenced to: