Information on Harbors and So On

[Paul in Saudi]

I do not own a boat. So this is all pretty theoretical. When I wander around the Internet my mind sometimes turn to obscure ports I would like to visit. Say Saint Helena, but most anywhere.

1) How does a real yachtsman find information on channels, markings, available services and so on? I suppose there is some sort of online service. Is it expensive?

2) For a lesser level of detail, suitable for daydreaming, what website or book would you recommend?

 

[menzies]

Waterwayguide.com and Active Captain are two free services for my cruising areas.

I use WaterWay Guide on my cell phone extensively for distances, marina, anchorages, inlets etc.

 

[Paul in Saudi]

Thank you.

 

[Brier_John]

The best cruising is in the Pacific NW. Hands Down.
1. Join a yacht club. If you don’t own a boat, you can join as a social member. With a membership card at any yacht club, you can visit any other yacht club and be welcomed
2. For PNW, remember this is cruising nirvana, buy a Wagonners Guide. It is an annual book with details on marinas and passages. They run a great website and offer online and in person classes.
3. Deepzoom.com. This site has charts and shows tide and tidal currants. I check this website before every cruise. I use it to plan my departure times to take advantage of tidal currents in my planned routes.
4. PredictWind. An app for iOS or Android. Free. Takes noaa weather and makes a maps of winds that is very useful.

 

[Sealife]

PNW...ehh, I like swimming and spear fishing

Google earth in areas where clear water. Just for arm chair sailing. When it comes to off grid Like Albuquerque Cays Colombia and such, you will get local knowledge as you get closer. Some of the off the beaten path places don’t get covered well in the mainstream info. Cruisersforum.com has some good info, as most of them are out cruising.

That is some of the fun, there wasn’t a chart for the first ship there...he made it. In 1st world countries it will all be charted, 3rd world not so much, besides perhaps Panama where Eric Bauhaus exceeds anything I’ve ever seen, well besides explorer chart books for Bahamas.

Anyway, enjoy and have fun. The planning part is the easiest

 

[Shrew]

The best cruising is in the Pacific NW. Hands Down.

Very subjective. You ask 5 people, and you'll get at least 4 different opinions. Someone from New England is going to vote for New England. A boater from the mid-atlantic is going to favor the Chesapeake. Floridians will be split between Florida and the Bahamas. I've heard Greece is pretty nice as well.

It also depends on what you like to do. If you like to dive, neither New England nor the PNW are really ideal destinations. If you like to fish, a lot of the Med is extremely over-fished. If you like to hop from town to town, or bask in the sun, Alaska might be a less desirable destination.