Which statement is true about bearing in navigation?

• A. Bearing is the direction from your vessel to a target measured clockwise from north.
• B. Bearing is the course over ground.
• C. Bearing is always equal to your heading.
• D. Bearing is the speed of the vessel.

Answer: (A)

Bearing is the direction from your vessel to a target, measured clockwise from north. This means you look along the line from your ship to the target and measure the angle starting at north, turning clockwise to that line. This distinguishes bearing from course over ground, which is the path your vessel actually travels over the earth, and from heading, which is the direction the bow is pointed. Bearing is not a measure of speed. So the statement that bearing is the direction to the target measured clockwise from north is the true description. (In practice, bearings can be given from true north or magnetic north depending on the reference used.)