What is a cocked hat in navigation?
The small triangle formed when three plotted bearings don't meet at a single point.
A small cocked hat is a reasonable fix. A big one means something's wrong: re-take the bearings. Unless you know better, assume you're at the corner nearest danger.
- Usual causes: the wrong landmark, misreading the compass, forgetting variation, plotting errors, or the boat moving between bearings.
- Pick charted objects about 60° apart, and nearer ones rather than distant.
- Take bearings ahead or astern first and the one nearest the beam last; beam bearings change fastest.
Source: Standard RYA position-fixing practice.
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