If you do a search on the keyword "boating" in any major search engine, you'll be swamped by the hundreds of thousands of pages on the World Wide Web that mention boating. Yikes! Our job is to separate the flotsam from the jetsam and bring you the very best boating resources available on the Internet. In future articles we'll highlight a specific topic or type of site and also the best of what's new, but to get started right now we've put together this overview of the types of information you can access.
Some of the best Boating Web Sites contain essential information for all boaters, both power and sail, such as the U.S.C.G. Office of Boating Safety where you can read Coast Guard publications and search the Code of Federal Regulations that pertain to boating. The Coast Guard also provides Local Notices to Mariners so that you can keep your nautical charts up to date. And before leaving the dock, always check the Weather.
Entertaining and useful web sites abound, such as as Commander Bob's Boating Safety Notebook, where you will find boating safety tips, trivia contests and marlinspike instruction. For information on boat maintenance, visit DIY boat owner, the marine maintenance magazine, an excellent collection of do-it-yourself articles on boat maintenance and repair.
For safe boating education, you can take a nationally approved Basic Boating Safety Certification Course right on the web or download windows software to study navigation lights, shapes and sounds with Nav Rules Program.
And, of course, there are many, many commercial web sites selling every conceivable marine product from anchors to cabin cruisers. In future articles we'll find the best of these, but you might start with She Sails Catalog, sailing accessories for women sailors.
Another catagory of Boating Web Sites are lists, links and directories. Generally, these sites don't have original "content" but consist of hundred of links to other sites, organized by topic, geographical location, content, date . . . or, in some cases, with no decipherable organization at all! One of the largest, as it was the first of its kind, is the classic Mark Rosenstein's Sailing Page which is primarily of interest to sail boaters. Another good directory is Best Boating Resources on the Web which is very nicely organized and contains links of interest to powerboaters, personal watercraft operators and fans
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