How do you perform a Williamson turn?

The Williamson turn is a maneuver used to recover from a man overboard situation and is designed to bring the vessel back to the point where the person went overboard. To effectively perform a Williamson turn, it is crucial to maintain the vessel's speed while executing the turn.

By putting the rudder full over until 60 degrees from the original course, the vessel effectively creates a wide arc back towards the man overboard. This angle is significant because it helps counteract the drift caused by wind and current, allowing the crew to return to the victim's location as accurately as possible. After reaching the correct angle, the vessel will then be turned back toward the original course, enabling a return to the point where assistance is needed.

This technique relies on maintaining speed throughout the maneuver, which stabilizes the turn and enhances control over the vessel's trajectory. The key aspect of the Williamson turn is that it balances maintaining speed and making a sufficient angle turn to effectively navigate back to the person overboard, making option C the correct choice.