Navigation General · Passage Planning — Fix Frequency
As a vessel moves from open ocean into confined coastal waters, the interval between position fixes should be:
- AIncreased (fixes taken less often)
- BUnchanged
- CStopped entirely
- DDecreased (fixes taken more often)✓ Correct
Explanation
Closer to hazards, the consequences of being off track grow quickly, so fixes are taken more frequently (and by independent methods where possible) to detect set/leeway and keep the vessel in safe water.
Authority: Bowditch; bridge procedures guidance
Practice the full Navigation General 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 Navigation General questions
- Dead Reckoning
A vessel departs a known position at 0800 on course 090°T at 12 knots. What is the DR position at 1100?
- Time-Speed-Distance
Using the 60 D = S × T formula, how long will it take a vessel traveling at 15 knots to cover 45 nautical miles?
- Time-Speed-Distance
A vessel travels 90 nautical miles in 6 hours. What is the vessel's speed?
- Dead Reckoning
Which of the following is the best definition of a Dead Reckoning (DR) position?
- Set & Drift
A vessel steers 000°T at 10 knots for 2 hours. The observed position shows the vessel is 4 nm east of the DR position. What is the set and drift of the current?
- Set & Drift
A current has a set of 225°T and a drift of 2 knots. Over 3 hours, how far and in what direction will this current displace a vessel from its DR position?