Which of the following describes how a Fix is obtained?

• A. Elapsed time alone
• B. Position determined by two bearings
• C. Star sightings for position
• D. Position determined by distance to shore

Answer: (B)

A fix is obtained by pinpointing your exact spot on the chart where two lines of position cross. Each line of position is created by measuring a bearing to a known, charted object. When you take bearings to two different objects and plot those lines, their intersection gives your location—the fix. This is the simplest and most reliable way to determine your position on the water with basic navigation tools.

Elapsed time alone can’t tell you where you are without additional information like speed and course. Star sightings can, in principle, yield position, but doing so requires more than a single sight and careful astronomical calculations, which goes beyond the basic two-bearing method. Distances to shore only give rough range information and don’t provide a precise intersection point. That’s why two bearings best describe how a fix is obtained.