Rudder Angle Indicator

Notes:

• A rudder is a flat sheet of material attached with hinges to the ship’s stern for the purposes of steering the vessel
• The rudder is only effective while it has water pushing past it which should be taken into consideration during attempts to maneuver the ship at slower speeds
• The rudder angle indicator describes the position of the rudders relative to a dead ahead position
• An rudder angle indicator of 10 degrees to port will, given a ship’s forward momentum (ignoring counteracting circumstances like tidal or wind forces), steer the ship towards port
• Because the position of the rudder is not always obvious, checking the RAI is useful when first taking the wheel and also when steering large vessels that may take a longer amount of time to come about
• Be aware that RAI (like many guages) can develop error and may not in fact be at midships when the indicator is at zero