In boat navigation you will usually use which type of courses and bearings?

• A. True
• B. Magnetic
• C. Gyro
• D. Dead Reckoning

Answer: (B)

Magnetic bearings are what you’ll usually use because the primary navigation instrument on most boats is the magnetic compass, which gives direction relative to magnetic north. You can steer directly to the magnetic bearing you read, making it the practical, everyday reference. Charts and plotting often involve true bearings, but you convert between magnetic and true using the variation (declination) shown on the chart. Gyro bearings come from a gyrocompass and can provide true bearings, but that equipment is less common on smaller vessels. Dead reckoning is a method for estimating position, not a type of bearing. So the standard, everyday practice is to navigate using magnetic bearings.