1952. A towing vessel should be on the crest of a wave at the same time as its tow and in the trough at the same time. The term used to describe this is __________.

Being in step describes when a towing vessel and its tow are synchronized on wave crests and troughs, minimizing shock loading on the towline. This differs from catenary length, which relates to towline sag, Williamson's Tow, a man-overboard maneuver, and tow strain, which refers to towline tension.