Pop Quiz

A. You are sailing south on a course of 180 degrees magnetic at 7 knots. According to your radar and AIS there is a large ship sailing north along your track at 25 knots and is currently 10 nautical miles away. How long will it be before your spouse gets mad at you?

1. My spouse is always mad at me
2. Three days ago
3. In 18’ 45”
4. What’s all that noise?

B. Bob and Sally hook up in Fort Lauderdale. Sally’s boat has a cruising speed of 12 knots, burns 8 gallons of fuel an hour at 3,000 rpm and has 1,450 gallons of fuel on board. Bob has three gallon-sized bottles of Ron Rico rum, a 10 lb. bag of ice and two dozen limes. How far can they sail?

1. All the way, baby! All the way!
2. As far as the limes and ice hold out
3. My head hurts just thinking about it
4. Cayenne! Où que ce soit?

C. Running before a storm Bruce is about to head down the face of a giant wave. The length of the wave is 75 meters and its trough is 60 meters away. How likely is his insurance company to pay out for a total loss?

1. 45 meters
2. 17:1
3. Bruce was self-insured
4. He should have heaved to hours ago

D. Charlotte, the owner of a marina, is ordering diesel engine parts from her wholesaler. Her budget for the season is $3,500. She can buy head gaskets at $45 each and injectors for $60 each. How many customers will she lose by ordering from Alibaba instead?

1. Charlotte relocated to Florida
2. 10
3. The ensuing class action lawsuit cost her $250,000
4. She made up her losses in kickbacks from the local towboat company

E. The Hinckley’s mast is taller than the Valiant’s, but shorter than the Oyster’s. Which owner has the highest net worth?

1. Oh, please! Another white privilege question?
2. Based on the international gin and tonic standard, the Valiant’s
3. If you have to ask, well, it’s terribly non-U, isn’t it? Asking I mean…
4. Before or after buying the boat?

Scoring: If you have run aground at least once and you believe you’ve answered every question correctly, congratulations! You may consider yourself a true sailor!