Question 932 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is A) A vessel at anchor. The rapid ringing of a bell indicates that the vessel is at anchor, as per the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). Rule 35(g) states that a vessel at anchor must ring the bell rapidly for about 5 seconds at intervals of not more than 1 minute. This signal alerts other vessels in the vicinity of the anchored vessel's position, allowing them to navigate safely around it. The other options are incorrect because a sailboat underway would not signal with a bell, a vessel backing out of a berth would not signal with a bell, and a vessel in distress would signal with a different sound like rapid blasts on the whistle.