Question 69 TV02 - Towing Vessels - Great Lakes and Inland

The Correct Answer is C **Why Option C is Correct:** When a vessel is off a lee shore (a shore that the wind is blowing towards) in heavy weather and laboring (struggling to move or maintain stability), the primary goal is to maintain steerage, avoid broaching, and minimize stress on the hull while moving away from danger. Putting the sea and wind about two points (approximately 22.5 degrees) on either bow means the vessel is meeting the waves at a slight angle. This course: * **Minimizes Pounding:** By not meeting the waves head-on, the bow does not slam down as hard, reducing stress and structural damage (pounding). * **Improves Stability and Steerage:** It prevents the vessel from "shouldering" too much of the wave, which could cause yawing or broaching (turning beam-on to the waves). It allows the propeller and rudder to remain submerged and effective, maintaining control. * **Allows for Evasion:** Reducing speed (or using just enough power to maintain steerage) is crucial in heavy weather. It prevents the vessel from plunging into the next wave violently and allows the ship to "ride" the waves more comfortably, reducing the forces acting upon it. This controlled, slight angle approach is the standard procedure for making headway into heavy seas. **Why Other Options Are Incorrect:** * **A) Heave to in the trough of the sea:** Heaving to (stopping or slowing down significantly) in the trough of the sea means the vessel would be broadside (beam-on) to the waves. This is the most dangerous position in heavy weather, as it maximizes the risk of being rolled, capsized, or severely damaged by large breaking waves (broaching). Furthermore, being beam-on puts you closest to the lee shore's danger line. * **B) Put the bow directly into the sea and proceed at full speed:** Placing the bow directly into the sea (head-on) results in severe pounding and slamming, which can cause significant structural damage (especially to the forepeak and bow sections), make the vessel uncomfortable, and potentially bury the bow into a wave, losing steerage temporarily. Proceeding at *full speed* greatly exacerbates this danger and is never recommended in heavy weather; speed must be reduced dramatically. * **D) Put the sea and wind on either quarter and proceed at increased speed:** Taking the waves on the quarter (approaching from the rear-sides) is highly dangerous when trying to move *away* from a lee shore. This downwind position significantly increases the risk of **broaching** (losing control and turning violently beam-on to the waves) or "pitchpoling" (bow diving under the wave), especially if proceeding at increased speed. High speed makes the vessel uncontrollable and unstable when running with a heavy sea.