What is the difference between 'heading' and 'bearing'?
Short answer
Heading is the direction the bow points; bearing is the direction of an external object measured from the vessel or from north
Heading is the direction in which the vessel's bow is pointing at any given moment. A bearing is the direction of an external object measured either from the vessel's head (a relative bearing) or from north (a true, magnetic, or compass bearing). For example, a vessel may have a heading of 045°T while taking a bearing of 090°T on a lighthouse.
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What is the difference between 'heading' and 'bearing'?