Bay Web Sites

The Web offers a rich set of resources for the Bay sailor. This list is only a sampling of the hundreds of interesting and valuable sites available.

Catalina Yacht and Club Sites

	Catalina Yachts - The Catalina Yachts Web Site
	Westerbeke/Universal - Manufacturer of many Catalina 36 diesels
	Catalina 36 International Association - The International Catalina 36 Club

Navigation Information

	NEW: NOAA Charts with Google Satellite Photos superimposed---very cool---thanks to David Pierson! Tips: - Drag the map with your mouse to move around, and change zoom level by rolling your mouse wheel - Switch between satellite photo and NOAA chart by clicking on the "NOAA" button in upper right corner - You can change the starting location by modifying the web address in the address box of your browser (lat, lon, and zoom level) and then save the result as a "Favorite" (or "Link" or "Bookmark")
	NOAA Coast Survey Charts - raster-scanned actual US nautical charts--all of them--on an official NOAA web site!
	NEW: Local Notices to Mariners for USCG District 5 (includes Chesapeake Bay). These are no longer published on paper.
	NOS Chart Update Notices - changes since the latest charts were published
	Coast Guard Light List - the official USCG light list for the entire United States

Weather Forecasts and Observations

Note: The National Weather Service has made the "top-level" navigation of their site into clickable maps---click right on the map to get the forecast for that location, including marine forecasts. A wide variety of other information is available from links on these pages---almost everything on page is an active link.

	National Weather Service Home Page - click on the map to see land forecasts marine forecasts, and radar throughout the U.S.
	NOAA NowCOAST - an interactive mapping site to view satellite, radar, and measurement data all on one map. Takes some experimentation to fully benefit from it
	NWS Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office Home Page - covers the Maryland Bay Marine forecasts and land forecasts for the west shore south to the Potomac River
	NWS Wakefield Virginia Forecast Office Home Page - covers the lower Bay Marine forecasts and land forecasts south of the Potomac River (both shores)
	NWS Mt. Holly New Jersey Forecast Office Home Page - covers the Delaware Bay Marine forecasts and the eastern shore forecasts for the Northern Chesapeake
	Chesapeake Bay Marine Forecast, Maryland Portion - click on the map for the marine forecast of your choice
	Chesapeake Bay Marine Forecast, Virginia Portion - a composite text forecast for the lower Bay and adjacent coastal waters
	NEW: Belcak Weather Station - Great weather composite information from Rock Hall, including WIND
	National Hurricane Center - for full tropical storm status and forecasts
	Storm Prediction Center - what areas of the country are forecast to have severe weather today
	Thomas Point Light Current Observation - actual observed wind data
	NEW: Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System - all kinds of data from three "smart" NOAA buoys recently installed around the Bay
	Chesapeake Bay Observing System - real-time data around the Bay
	www.weather.com - the Weather Channel, an excellent weather resource

	intellicast - another great weather site
	AccuWeather - and another,
	Wunderground - and another...

NOAA Weather Radar

The four NWS radars that cover the Chesapeake and the Delaware Bays are listed below. Most TV and Internet radar coverage is actually sourced from them. Moving radar is available from these sites by clicking "Loop" on the left-hand side. This will require Java on your computer, available as a free download from Sun Microsystems.

	National Weather Radar - mosaic of all NOAA radars. Drag scroll bar at bottom to see the East.
	NWS Sterling, VA - located near Dulles Airport
	NWS Dover, DE - located at Dover AFB, Delaware
	NWS Mt. Holly, NJ - located east of Philadelphia
	NWS Wakefield, VA - located southwest of Williamsburg, VA
	Intellicast - Baltimore Summary - derived from NWS radar, but annotated with cloud heights and movement

TV Station Weather Radar

There are a few privately-owned radars that cover the Chesapeake and the Delaware Bays:

	WMAR Wx radar - Channel 2 Baltimore's radar, auto-updated every 3 minutes
	WGAL Wx Radar - Lancaster, PA-based, shows northern Bay

Tide and Current Calculations
All can be set to forecast any future date...

	Annapolis, MD - tides
	Charlestown, MD - tides
	Havre de Grace, MD - tides
	Solomons Is., MD - tides
	Thomas Point Light - tides
	Tidal Currents, Baltimore Harbor Approaches - CURRENTS, not just tide heights!
	Location Finder - find tide forecasts anywhere on the East Coast. Listed North to South.
	Chesapeake COOPS Data - real measured data compared to forecast tides. Honest!
	Animated Bay Tide Map - a "movie" of tidal movement in the entire Bay. Talk about the Big Picture...

Discount Boating Equipment and Supplies

	Boater's World - 877-690-0004
	Defender - 800-628-8225
	West Marine - 800-262-8464

Boating Magazines

	Chesapeake Bay
	Cruising World
	The Mariner
	Nor'Easter
	Sail
	Sail Magazine's Sailboat Buyers Guide
	Spin Sheet