United States Coast Pilot - Using the Coast Pilot - Bearings, Bridges and Cables, Cable Ferries, Courses, Currents

Oct 12, 2026

United States Coast Pilot is a NOAA publication composed of volumes that support safe navigation for U.S. coastal and intracoastal waters and the Great Lakes. It consolidates non-chart material on environmental factors, tides, ice, currents, landmarks, vertical clearances, wharf and small-craft facilities, hazards, dredged channels, and depths, plus navigation services, regulations, and Federal laws. Updates are released annually in new editions, with weekly online postings and amendment access. The text explains volume chapters, including regulations, regional information, appendices, navigation rules, and update records, and provides guidance on bearings, bridge and cable clearances, and ferry caution.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Using the Coast Pilot

Chapter structure and regional coverage

Appendices, navigation rules, and updates

Bearings

Bridges and cables

Cable ferries

Courses

Currents

General Information (1) UNITED STATES COAST PILOT® (2) The United States Coast Pilot, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a series often nautical books (volumes) that encompasses a wide variety of information important to navigators of U.S. coastal/intracoastal waters and the waters of the Great Lakes. The Coast Pilot is intended tobe used as a supplement to NOAA nautical charts. Much of the content cannot be shown graphically on the charts and is not readily available elsewhere. Topics which are coveredincludeenvironmentalfactorsofweather, climate, ice conditions, tides, water levels, currents, prominent coastal features and landmarks. Specific information on vertical clearances, wharf descriptions, small-craft facilities, hazards, dredged channels and depths are also provided. Navigation services and regulations are also identified including pilotage, towing, anchorages, routes and traffic separation schemes, environmental protection, and other Federal laws. (3) New editions of each volume are issued annually. Fully updated files are posted weekly on the Internet, and are also available through NOAA Certified Chart Agents [at](at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)[ www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov](at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov). (4) Amendments to this publication are available at [nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/index](nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/index). html. (5) (5) Using the Coast Pilot (6) Chapter 1 contains definitions of general and standard terms used throughout the volume, discussions of NOAA charting products and services, descriptions of maritime services by various U.S. Government agencies, Notices to Mariners and other information pertinent to safe navigation. (7) Chapter 2 contains selected extracts from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that affect mariners. (8) Chapter 3 contains general information that is peculiar to the region covered by a particular Coast Pilot volume. For example, practical information regarding offshore currents and dangers, coastal aids to navigation, prominent landmarks and the general character of the coast and depths helpful in approaching the region. (9) In Chapter 4 and the remaining numbered chapters, the detailed description of the region begins. A map precedes each chapter and outlines the nautical charts used inthe areatobe discussed. In these chapters, as much as possible, the coastal description is in geographic sequence, north to south on the east coast, east to west on the gulf coast, clockwise around each of the Great Lakes and south to north on the west coast and Alaskan coast. Features are described as they appear on the largest scale chart, with that chart number prominently shown in blue. (10) Appendix A contains contact information regarding the various products, services and agencies detailed throughout the volume. (11) Navigation Rules— preceding Appendix A, contains the International (72 COLREGS) and Inland Navigation Rules, technical Annexes, and associated Federal rules and regulations. (12) The Weekly Record of Updates is intended as a log for critical updates applied to this volume. (13) The Index contains geographic names mentioned throughout a Coast Pilot volume. These names are boldfaced and indexed along with the number of the largest scale chart on which the entire feature appears. Asterisks preceding a chart number in the index of Coast Pilot 5 indicate charts published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and in the index of Coast Pilot 6, charts published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service. (14) Bearings (15) Bearings and courses are in degrees true and are measured clockwise from 000° (north) to 359° . The bearings of an aid to navigation (e.g., directional light, light sector, range) are given as viewed from the bridge of a vessel toward the light. (16) Bridges and Cables (17) Vertical clearances of br

FAQs

What information does the United States Coast Pilot provide for navigators?

It covers topics important to safe navigation, including environmental factors, weather and climate, ice conditions, tides and water levels, currents, coastal features, and detailed vertical clearances, hazards, dredged channels, and depths.

How often are new editions and updates released?

New editions of each volume are issued annually. Fully updated files are posted weekly on the Internet, and amendments are available through NOAA publication access.

How are bearings and courses expressed in the Coast Pilot?

Bearings and courses are in degrees true and are measured clockwise from 000° (north) to 359°. Bearings for aids to navigation are given as viewed from a vessel’s bridge toward the light.

Oct 12, 2026

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