Distance to Waypoint (DTW)

The calculated separation between a vessel’s current position and a selected waypoint.

A GNSS receiver or chartplotter normally updates this value as the vessel moves and may use a great-circle, rhumb-line or other calculation configured by the system. It is often shown in nautical miles and contributes to time-to-go or estimated-arrival calculations.

The value is usually direct distance to the active waypoint, not distance remaining along every leg of a route and not confirmation that the direct line is navigable. The active waypoint, units, route geometry and charted hazards must be verified before using it for decisions.