Question 901 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is B) You must sound three short blasts on the whistle. This is correct because the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) Rule 34(c) states that "when a vessel is running astern, she shall sound, on the whistle, three short blasts." This applies to both international and inland waters when the vessels are in sight of each other and less than 0.5 mile apart. The other options are incorrect because: A) is wrong as you do not need to specify the direction you are backing; C) is wrong as you do need to sound the whistle signals; and D) is wrong as the whistle signals are required regardless of whether the vessels are meeting.