Practice question

In overtaking at night, which statement identifies overtaking?

  1. You see both vessels' bow lights.
  2. You see the other vessel's stern light and your own stern light.
  3. You see the other vessel's starboard light and you pass to port.
  4. You see only the stern light of the vessel ahead and you intend to pass aft of it.

Answer: D — You see only the stern light of the vessel ahead and you intend to pass aft of it.

Overtaking means you are positioned behind another vessel in a way that you would pass it on its stern. At night, the clear visual cue for this is seeing only the other vessel’s stern light, which shows you are behind it and plan to pass aft of it. That is why the statement describing seeing only the stern light of the vessel ahead and intending to pass astern correctly identifies overtaking. The other scenarios describe head-on or crossing situations (seeing both bow lights, or seeing a starboard light and crossing to the other side) and do not indicate overtaking.

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