At night, what light will you see when overtaking another vessel?

When overtaking another vessel at night, the light that you will see is the stern light. In the context of navigation rules, the stern light is a white light displayed at the stern (the back) of a vessel. When you are overtaking another vessel, its stern light is visible to you, indicating that you are behind it and approaching from the rear.

Understanding the positioning of lights is crucial for safe navigation at night. The rules dictate that a vessel underway at night will display its navigation lights: a red light to indicate the port side, a green light for the starboard side, and a white stern light. If you are overtaking, typically you will not see the bow or side lights of the other vessel clearly; rather, you will see the stern light as you approach from the rear. This helps you determine if you have the ability to pass without interfering with that vessel's course.

While the other options refer to lights that serve specific functions in indicating a vessel's position, they are not relevant when directly overtaking another vessel. For instance, the bow light is primarily seen when approaching a vessel head-on, side lights are visible when viewing the vessel from the side, and the starboard light is specifically a green light indicating the