How do you gather information about a new port you've never been to?

[hogHunter]

When you're out cruising how do you find information about the upcoming ports such as clearance, depth, port layout, etc? We find its always easier to enter and dock when we know what to expect.

[Lepke]

For about 60 years, I've been using charts to get that information. Now it's faster and easier with electronic charts. Many commercial publications have a yearly port guide that list basic port info and phone numbers of marinas, yards, harbormaster, etc.

[hellosailor]

Charts?!
And here we've been wasting money sending out spies in a high speed RIB, who claim they've been hanging out is waterfront bars clandestinely gathering intelligence before bringing it back to the mothership.

[Suijin]

Start with charts and any other guides I might happen to have, and check Active Captain if it's convenient and I have access. AC usually has the most up to date information but you often have to hunt for it in various comments/pins.

[zeehag]

charts. paper charts.
cruising guides
maps found online
friends
other cruisers
drunken sailor talk from other ports and harbors. y'all drunks make a lot of noise. filter it and find the teeniest nugget of truth. hahahahaha
charts
cruising guides.
did i say charts.....
did i say cruising guides.....

[MV Wanderlust]

Electronic charts and Active Captain. Hard to beat that combination. When we narrow it down to one or two, we call them and talk with the dockmaster to get any inside information.

[David M]

Coast Pilot not mentioned yet.

https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/cpdownload.htm

[Cormorant]

Lots of good port info on Noonsite, too.

[Cherod]

Can't speak for many of the other electronic aids mentioned above but Navionics and google maps have so far done it for me

[Nicor]

I see very few reference to noonsite. Wondering why...

That is the site i have been going to look up info about what to expect for customs and immigration clearance to different countries.

[Snore]

I use google maps or bing maps satellite views.

Looking at photos of a harbor adds a better perspective, you can often see docks for large vessels and variations in depth. Coming in at night having that added perspective is reassuring.

[captlloyd]

Marinas.com. Cruisingguide.com

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Marinas.com. Cruisingguide.com

Sorry that should be- waterwayguide.com.

[FionaJC]

My Chart Plotter has port information in 3d, Satellite and mariners eye. - Garmin GPS MAP 4010
The internet for port home pages
People I know who have been there and in the UK -Reeds Almanac.

[George DuBose]

Noonsite.com has a lot of tips about ports of entry. Google "Sailing Directions" and download the region you are interested in. Sailing directions are mainly for big ships, but there is useful information for sailors there as well.

A current edition of a cruising guide for the region will also have a lot of useful information and chartlets of the harbors. Maybe the harbormaster's phone number also.

The CF cards from Navionics used by my Raymarine C120 also has quite a bit of information when one clicks on the harbor icon and then "more details".