Question 45 UFV02 - Mate - Uninspected Fishing Vessels

The Correct Answer is B **Explanation for Option B (One prolonged blast) being correct:** According to both the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs, Rule 34(e)) and the Inland Navigational Rules (33 CFR § 83.34(e)), a vessel nearing an area where vessels may be obscured (such as a bend or a point) is required to sound a single **prolonged blast** (a blast lasting approximately 4 to 6 seconds). This signal serves as a warning or cautionary signal to any approaching vessel that may be out of sight around the bend. **Explanation of why the other options are incorrect:** * **A) One short blast:** A short blast (about one second) is primarily used in the context of maneuvering signals to indicate an intention to change course (e.g., "I intend to leave you on my port side" or "I am altering my course to starboard") when vessels are in sight of one another. It is not the specified signal for approaching a blind bend. * **C) Two short blasts:** Two short blasts are used to indicate an intention to change course to port (e.g., "I intend to leave you on my starboard side" or "I am altering my course to port"). It is a maneuvering signal, not a cautionary signal for a blind bend. * **D) One long blast:** While "prolonged blast" and "long blast" are sometimes used interchangeably in casual language, the precise term defined and standardized in the Rules (COLREGs/Inland) for this specific cautionary situation is **prolonged blast** (4 to 6 seconds). While a prolonged blast *is* a long blast, using the defined terminology (Prolonged Blast) makes B the definitive correct answer over the general term "long blast," especially given that the duration of a prolonged blast is precisely defined for Rule 34 maneuvers, whereas "long blast" is not a formal defined signal duration in the same way.