Coast Pilot: Little Known FREE Boating Resource
Introduction to the Coast Pilot
It's called the "Coast Pilot." The Coast Pilot is freely downloadable as PDF's. PDF's are easy to print and small to store on your computer.
In this article, we explore what the Coast Pilot contains and how to locate information about cruising locations quickly.
Content of the Coast Pilot
Inside the Coast Pilot, you'll find information like:
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channel descriptions
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anchorages
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bridge and cable clearances
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currents, tide and water levels
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prominent features
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pilotage
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towage
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weather
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ice conditions
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wharf descriptions
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dangers
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routes
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traffic separation schemes
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small-craft facilities
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Federal regulations applicable to navigation
Is that Everything in the Coast Pilot?
From the list above it might sound as if this book wasn't a lot of "fun." Well, the Coast Pilot has a lot more to it than facts and lists. There are nice pictures. You'll find information about whales and other interesting tidbits about local areas. It's a surprisingly well written and researched document that is free.
Even if you have a favorite cruising guide already, it still is a benefit to explore what the Coast Pilot says about your intended destinations and routes.
A Maine Divided
As shown at right, Maine is sectionalized into chapters. There's one PDF for each chapter. BoatMaine has all the chapters on our Coast Pilot page, so be sure to bookmark that page. Note that we don't actually store the Coast Pilots on our site instead we link direct to the NOAA site so when they update these files, ours will be updated too.
And speaking of updates, the government doesn't always update these files with the latest information. They publish critical and hopefully timely corrections on their website here.
Tips on How to Find Information Quickly in the Coast Pilot
Many people are self taught on computers, including the author. It's easy to accidentally miss or skip over some tricks that might make things easier.
Conclusion