There’s still some time to do some cruising folks! September and October are often great times to make that mini voyage – less crowds, still nice weather and a certain peace and tranquility that only autumn sailing can bring. Here’s a little quiz taken from ASA’s 104 text, Bareboat Cruising Made Easy, to test your knowledge before you next untie those dock lines. Enjoy!
- When navigating either by paper or electronically, a turning point en route to a destination is also known as a:
- Q bearing No, we made that up out of thin air
- D.A.C. (Destination Altering of Course) No, but everyone loves an acronym!
- Waypoint But of course! Good job!
- Lat Long Alt It might be a lat long alt but it is not known as a lat long alt – incorrect
- As a matter of nautical tradition, when you have guests on board from another country it is customary to fly their flag on which spreader?
- The port spreader Yes! Not an easy question – you done good!
- The starboard spreader Nope – Other flags are traditionally flown here not the guest’s flag.
- The back stay Incorrect – that ain’t where it goes
- Atop the mast No – but you must really like this guy if you thought that!
- An Anchor “trip line” is:
- A line that sits on deck insuring the anchor stays immobile Wrong, but that would definitely trip people!
- A line that measures the rode of a given anchor set up No, I think that’s called a tape measure!
- A line used to retrieve a fouled anchor Exactly!
- A line that floats atop the water indication where the anchor has been dropped. I’m afraid not – that sounds like it would be the “prop fouler line.”
- A “preventer” is:
- A line that holds the boom in place for downwind sailing. Easy one – good work!
- A backwinded jib that intentionally “prevents” the boat from efficient forward motion. No, that sounds like something else….
- A pull stop system that chokes a diesel engine creating essentially a kill switch. Incorrect, not a bad guess, but you should hit the books.
- A line that runs along the length of the boom that pulls the leech of the sail aft. You’re a bit confused but that’s okay, try again.
- In restricted visibility, vessels are required (rule 35) to make sound signals. A sailboat must:
- Make a sequence of 3 short blasts repeated at intervals of every one-minute. Nope! Close though!
- Make a sequence of 1 long and 2 short blasts repeated at intervals of not more than 2 minutes. You know it!
- Sound continuous long blasts of 10-seconds or more. That’s a wrong answer and it would be really annoying.
- There are no strict rules, as long as some sort of sound is created. Incorrect but you sound like a real free spirit!
- A small craft advisory is issued when:
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts are or expected to be 12-16-knots or seas reach 8-feet or greater. Incorrect. 12-16? C’mon that’s a perfect day!
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts are or expected to be 22-33 or seas reach 5-7-feet or greater. This be the right answer!
- Sustained winds are or expected to be above 35-knots. No, it happens earlier than this!
- Sustained winds or gusts reach 40-48 knots. No, it happens way earlier than this!
- A flood tide is:
- An outgoing tide. Sorry – you took a stab and it didn’t work out.
- An unusually high tide. Wrong answer – although that might flood something, so your logic is sound. Still wrong though…
- Any tide that coincides with a full moon. No, that’s just a nice night.
- A rising or incoming tide. Righty right!
Click on an answer above to start!
Responses