Spinnaker Sailing
Navigation and Weather Quiz
These questions and their answers are gleaned from the USCG Mariners Tests, and we trust in them for their accuracy. There are over 700 questions regarding weather and navigation here and all quiz questions are picked randomly. Questions are graded individually and you do not have to answer all questions to check your answers. Don't be discouraged if you miss a few questions, some of them are pretty hard. However, the more you take this test the more you will learn!
[Generate New Quiz Questions ]

Question 1 - Advection fog is most commonly caused by ...
) air being warmed above the dew point
) saturation of cold air by rain
) a rapid cooling of the air near the surface of the Earth at night
) warm moist air being blown over a colder surface

Question 2 - Which magnetic compass corrector(s) CANNOT be set while the vessel is on a heading of magnetic north or magnetic south?
) Athwartships magnets
) Heeling magnet
) Flinders bar
) All of the above can be set on magnetic north or magnetic south headings.

Question 3 - Under the IALA cardinal system, a mark with quick white light showing 3 flashes every 10 seconds indicates that the safest water in the area is on the ...
) north side of the mark
) west side of the mark
) east side of the mark
) south side of the mark

Question 4 - The datum used for soundings on charts of the the East Coast of the United States is ...
) mean low water springs
) mean low water
) mean lower low water
) half tide level

Question 5 - The height of a tide can be increased by ...
) a storm surge
) a high pressure area
) the jet stream
) a cold front

Question 6 - A bridge over a navigable waterway is being repaired. There is a traveller platform under the bridge's deck that significantly reduces the vertical clearance. If required by the CG district commander, how will this be indicated at night?
) Illumination by flood lights
) A quick flashing red light at each lower corner
) A strobe light visible both up and downstream
) Fixed amber lights under the extreme outer edges of the traveller

Question 7 - A bridge over a navigable waterway is being repaired. There is a traveller platform under the bridge's deck that significantly reduces the vertical clearance. If required by the CG district commander, how will this be indicated at night?
) Illumination by flood lights
) A quick flashing red light at each lower corner
) A strobe light visible both up and downstream
) Fixed amber lights under the extreme outer edges of the traveller

Question 8 - A vessel is proceeding downstream in a narrow channel on the Western Rivers when another vessel is sighted moving upstream. Which vessel has the right of way?
) The vessel moving upstream against the current
) The vessel moving downstream with a following current
) The vessel located more towards the channel centerline
) The vessel with the least amount of maneuverability

Question 9 - While preparing to enter a Brazilian port, you see ahead a red and green horizontally-striped buoy. The upper band is red. What action should you take?
) Alter course to leave the buoy to port.
) Alter course to leave the buoy to starboard.
) Pass the buoy close aboard on either side.
) Pass the buoy well clear on either side.

Question 10 - A dead reckoning (DR) plot ...
) ignores the effect of surface currents
) is most useful when in sight of land
) must be plotted using magnetic courses
) may be started at an assumed position