Question 35

The Correct Answer is C. ### Why Option C is Correct: **C) The Great Lakes on the United States side of the boundary** are explicitly defined as part of the Inland Waters for the purpose of the U.S. Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Subchapter E, 89.3). The Inland Rules apply to all navigable waters of the United States shoreward of the established Demarcation Lines. The U.S. portions of the Great Lakes (including their connecting and tributary waters) are major components of this system, and thus are governed by the Inland Rules. ### Why Other Options Are Incorrect: **A) Any lakes within state boundaries:** This is too broad and often incorrect. While many large inland lakes are considered navigable waters of the U.S. and are governed by the Inland Rules, the inclusion of *any* lake would encompass small, entirely private, or non-navigable bodies of water where the federal Inland Navigation Rules would not apply. The key requirement is navigability, and many small lakes fall outside the jurisdiction of federal navigation rules. **B) The coastline of the United States out to one mile offshore:** This area generally falls within the scope of the **International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs)**, not the Inland Rules. The dividing point between Inland Waters and International Waters is the established **Demarcation Line**. While the Demarcation Line is often relatively close to shore, it is not uniformly fixed at one mile offshore. Waters seaward of the Demarcation Lines are governed by COLREGs, regardless of the precise distance from shore. **D) The waters surrounding any islands of the U.S.:** This is incorrect because many U.S. islands (such as Hawaii, Guam, or Puerto Rico) are surrounded by open ocean, which is governed by **COLREGs**. Only the waters surrounding islands that fall shoreward of the established Demarcation Lines (e.g., islands close to the mainland coast) would be considered Inland Waters.