Office of Coast Survey
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
The United States Coast Pilot® consists of a series of nautical books that cover a variety of information important to navigators of coastal and intracoastal waters and the Great Lakes. Issued in nine volumes, they contain supplemental information that is difficult to portray on a nautical chart.
What is the U.S. Coast Pilot®?
The United States Coast Pilot® consists of a series of nautical books that cover a variety of information important to navigators of coastal and intracoastal waters and the Great Lakes. Issued in ten volumes, they contain supplemental information that is difficult to portray on a nautical chart.
Topics in the Coast Pilot include channel descriptions, anchorages, bridge and cable clearances, currents, tide and water levels, prominent features, pilotage, towage, weather, ice conditions, wharf descriptions, dangers, routes, traffic separation schemes, small-craft facilities, and Federal regulations applicable to navigation.
All Coast Pilot books are available to download for free from the Office of Coast Survey website.
To download the weekly updates and the latest edition, select the appropriate book cover. Please report a discrepancy or provide additional information for updating the Coast Pilot.
Hard copies of Coast Pilot can be purchased from NOAA Certified Coast Pilot Distributors, and are up to date at the time of printing.
This publication is an amalgamation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (72 COLREGS) and Inland Navigation Rules, their Annexes, and associated Federal rules and regulations. The format of this publication uses a single-page layout that concisely sets out the differences between each set of rules. It is meant to be concise, easy to view online, download, and print. We strive to ensure its accuracy; nonetheless, we make no claims or guarantees of such and expressly disclaim liability for its use. Corrections, comments, or suggestions are welcomed by emailing cgnav@uscg.mil (CG-NAV) Office of Navigation Systems.
An up to date printed or downloaded* copy of this Amalgamation, or the Navigation Rules as published within the United States Coast Pilot®, may be used to meet the ‘copy of these Rules’ requirement of Inland Rule 1(g). For more information on the Coast Guard’s policy regarding the use of electronic publications and charts.
*see Navigation and Vessel Inspec-tion Circular (NVIC) 01-16 CH-2.
Important Coast Pilot Information
Notice: Incomplete and otherwise inaccurate reproductions of United States Coast Pilot are being sold on the commercial market.
Notice: To increase efficiency and timeliness, Coast Pilot updates will only be posted on this website, and no longer be included in the Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners.
* While the Office of Coast Survey is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998, our Coast Pilot PDF files are not yet compliant.
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Revised: 5/8/2020
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