Drogue should be marked every how many feet?

• A. 60 feet
• B. 30 feet
• C. 50 feet
• D. 70 feet

Answer: (C)

Measuring drogues by marking the line at fixed intervals lets you know exactly how much line is paid out and helps you control distance, tension, and spacing during a tow. Fifty feet is a practical, easy-to-read interval on deck: it provides enough resolution to judge how far the drogue is from the vessel without producing too many marks to track. This helps you make timely adjustments and maintain safe, predictable line dynamics.

If you used a shorter interval like thirty feet, you’d have many more marks to manage, which can be harder to read at a glance in rough conditions. Larger intervals like sixty or seventy feet reduce precision, making it harder to estimate distance quickly as conditions change.