When taking three visual bearings, what order is correct?

• A. Bow,Beam,Stern
• B. Stern,Bow,Beam
• C. Beam,Stern,Bow
• D. Beam,Bow,Stern

Answer: (D)

Taking three visual bearings to fix your position is about forming three lines of position that intersect. Do the side bearing first because it’s the most stable reference when you’re looking from the hull’s middle to the side; your eye line and the sighting are comfortable, and the target remains roughly in a steady lateral direction even as the ship moves a bit. Then read a bearing to something ahead (the bow) and finally to something behind (the stern). This sequence helps reduce parallax errors caused by the ship’s motion (roll, pitch, heading changes) because you’re starting from a stable, lateral reference and then moving forward and backward in a way that keeps the sighting consistent. The result is three lines that intersect reliably to give your position.