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set

The true direction toward which a current flows. Pilot charts plot ocean currents. There are also world maps showing currents in Bowditch, along with a discussion of the currents. See drift.

The word "set" is also often used to refer to the difference between the a vessel's heading and its actual course over ground. If I am steering 200 and making good a course of 215, then I am getting set 15° to the right. This latter common usage is more of a jargon than official terminology.

See drift. See also error current. See also course over ground (COG) and speed over ground (SOG) because it is the difference between these two GPS values and the knotmeter and compass values that tell us we are being set by current or blown off course by wind (leeway).

See also Tricky Terms in Navigation.


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