What colour is the port sidelight?
Port is red and starboard is green.
What colour is the starboard sidelight?
Starboard is green.
Over what arc does a masthead light shine?
From dead ahead to 22.5° abaft the beam on each side.
What is a sternlight?
It shines 67.5° from dead astern on each side.
Two power-driven vessels meet head-on. What should they do?
Each turns to starboard so they pass port to port.
Two power-driven vessels are crossing. Which one gives way?
The vessel with the other on her starboard side keeps out of the way.
A vessel is overtaking another. Who must keep clear?
An overtaking vessel always keeps out of the way, even a sailing vessel.
What does one short blast mean?
One short blast: starboard. Two: port. Three: astern.
What do three short blasts mean?
Three short blasts mean engines going astern.
What do at least five short, rapid blasts mean?
It signals doubt about the other vessel's intentions or actions.
In IALA Region A, what colour is a port-hand lateral mark?
In Region B (the Americas) it is the other way round: port marks are green.
In open water, a power-driven vessel meets a sailing vessel under sail. Who generally gives way?
Except when the sailing vessel is overtaking, or in a narrow channel with a vessel that can only navigate safely there.
About this test
- Most boating licence theory exams, including the ICC and many national licences, test the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).
- Key topics are navigation lights, sound signals, who gives way, and buoyage (IALA Region A in Europe, Africa, most of Asia and Australia; Region B in the Americas, Japan, Korea and the Philippines).
- These are our own practice questions. Your country's exam may add local rules.
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