Bow lights on a small vessel provide navigation illumination in which colors and angular coverage?

• A. Red and Green, 112.5 Degrees
• B. Red and White, 112.5 Degrees
• C. Green and White, 112.5 Degrees
• D. Red and Green, 135 Degrees

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how navigation lights identify a vessel’s orientation to others. On a small vessel, the bow lights are the sidelight colors: red on the port (left) side and green on the starboard (right) side. Each sidelight has a horizontal visibility of 112.5 degrees, meaning they are visible well forward and to the sides but not directly behind. This setup lets other mariners infer whether you are coming toward them, crossing from their left, or crossing from their right based on which light(s) they see. The white light that you might see from behind or the stern is a separate light with its own arc, but for the bow lights themselves, red and green with 112.5-degree coverage is the correct description.