At a speed of 16.6 knots along a course of 006 degrees T, if you see a light bearing 008 degrees T at 0516, how long until it is abeam?

To determine how long it will take for the light to be abeam at a speed of 16.6 knots and a current course of 006 degrees T, we first need to understand the concept of when an object is abeam.

An object is considered abeam when it is 90 degrees to the side of your course. Since your vessel is heading 006 degrees, the abeam position will be at 096 degrees relative to your vessel's heading. The light is currently at a bearing of 008 degrees T, which means it is nearly ahead of you, more specifically, it is 2 degrees off your bow.

To find the angle change required to reach the abeam position, we calculate the difference between 008 degrees and 096 degrees. This gives an angle change of 88 degrees. After establishing the course changes, we can determine the time it will take to reach that 90-degree bearing.

At a speed of 16.6 knots, you travel 16.6 nautical miles in one hour, which is approximately 0.2768 nautical miles per minute. To compute the distance covered to the abeam position, we use the formula for the distance across the bow:

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