Cruising Quiz

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:
  1. Q bearing No, we made that up out of thin air
  2. D.A.C. (Destination Altering of Course) No, but everyone loves an acronym!
  3. Waypoint But of course! Good job!
  4. 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?
  1. The port spreader Yes! Not an easy question – you done good!
  2. The starboard spreader Nope – Other flags are traditionally flown here not the guest’s flag.
  3. The back stay Incorrect – that ain’t where it goes
  4. Atop the mast No – but you must really like this guy if you thought that!
• An Anchor “trip line” is:
  1. A line that sits on deck insuring the anchor stays immobile Wrong, but that would definitely trip people!
  2. A line that measures the rode of a given anchor set up No, I think that’s called a tape measure!
  3. A line used to retrieve a fouled anchor Exactly!
  4. 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:
  1. A line that holds the boom in place for downwind sailing. Easy one – good work!
  2. A backwinded jib that intentionally “prevents” the boat from efficient forward motion. No, that sounds like something else….
  3. 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.
  4. 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:
  1. Make a sequence of 3 short blasts repeated at intervals of every one-minute. Nope! Close though!
  2. Make a sequence of 1 long and 2 short blasts repeated at intervals of not more than 2 minutes. You know it!
  3. Sound continuous long blasts of 10-seconds or more. That’s a wrong answer and it would be really annoying.
  4. 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:
  1. 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!
  2. 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!
  3. Sustained winds are or expected to be above 35-knots. No, it happens earlier than this!
  4. Sustained winds or gusts reach 40-48 knots. No, it happens way earlier than this!
• A flood tide is:
  1. An outgoing tide. Sorry – you took a stab and it didn’t work out.
  2. An unusually high tide. Wrong answer – although that might flood something, so your logic is sound. Still wrong though…
  3. Any tide that coincides with a full moon. No, that’s just a nice night.
  4. A rising or incoming tide. Righty right!