What is the term for the direction a vessel is facing relative to true north?

What is the term for the direction a vessel is facing relative to true north?

• A. Heading
• B. Bearing
• C. Course
• D. Track

Answer: (A)

Heading is the direction the bow of the vessel is pointing, measured relative to north. It tells you where the ship is facing, which can be true north or magnetic north depending on the reference used by your instruments. This is different from course, which is the intended path over the water, and from track, which is the actual path over the ground. Bearing refers to the direction from your location to a specific object, not the vessel’s own orientation. So the term for the direction a vessel is facing relative to true north is heading.

Heading is the direction the bow of the vessel is pointing, measured relative to north. It tells you where the ship is facing, which can be true north or magnetic north depending on the reference used by your instruments. This is different from course, which is the intended path over the water, and from track, which is the actual path over the ground. Bearing refers to the direction from your location to a specific object, not the vessel’s own orientation. So the term for the direction a vessel is facing relative to true north is heading.