Rules of the Road · Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
Under 72 COLREGS, two short blasts on the whistle mean:
- AI intend to leave you on my starboard side
- BI am altering my course to port✓ Correct
- CI am altering my course to starboard
- DI intend to overtake on your port side
Explanation
Under 72 COLREGS, whistle signals are signals of ACTION. Two short blasts mean 'I am altering my course to port.' Under Inland Rules, two short blasts mean 'I intend to leave you on my starboard side' — a signal of intent, not action.
Authority: 72 COLREGS Rule 34(a)
Practice the full Rules of the Road 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 Rules of the Road questions
- Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
Under the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules, a short blast on the whistle by a power-driven vessel means:
- Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
A vessel on inland waters signals one short blast to a meeting vessel. The other vessel must respond with:
- Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
A vessel on inland waters signals two short blasts. The other vessel answers with five short blasts. This means:
- Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
Under the Inland Rules, the maneuvering signal system is fundamentally different from 72 COLREGS because:
- Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
Under Inland Rules, when a vessel in a narrow channel proposes to overtake another vessel on the overtaken vessel's port side, what signal is given?
- Maneuvering Signals (Intent vs Action)
Under 72 COLREGS, can a vessel in a narrow channel signal its intent to overtake before passing?