Help build a new database of harbours

R

Ralph_sweden

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I´m trying to build a new database with info on harbours from all over the world. Please add information on your favorit harbour or bay to anchor in. Interesting viewpoints are; approch, depth, shelter, charge, service, phone number, e-mail, web-site. You find the map-based database here: http://platial.com/delphin3/map/102481

THX

/Skipper on S/Y Delphin III
 
Yes I do know that. It’s the same from where I live... I don’t think that’s a problem. The point isn’t to build a database that you can use for navigation ...it’s to make it easy to find info on harbors from all over the world in one single place...and it’s a bonus that one can (in many cases) see the harbor from a birds view as well...
 
The World Port Index might be a handy place to start, which has many thousands of ports with baseline information.

You are not the only person to have considered developing a boater-friendly database of world harbours (or related pilot information), sometimes based on GoogleEarth, and putting out a request like this. It would be useful to search for what else is going on and maybe join forces. Every attempt that I've seen is always woefully inaccurate or out of date compared with the routine information collected by Noonsite, which is where I guess most of us would think to look at present if we wanted to check our pilot book port data.
 
Thanks you all for your response.


I have no attentions on replacing Pilotbooks, Noonsite or Portbrooker. On the other hand, I think that my idea on a map based database is a good complement to the above information sources. The idea is that the database will be a fast and simple ways for sailors, both local and long distance once, to find basic information about ports in areas one plans to sail to, or in areas one is located in. Pilotbooks is good for navigational information, but it becomes costly if one has to buy a book for each area one is interested of sailing in. Noonsite is good if you want to have in-depth-info but how easy is it to find a port in the vicinity of x-town in x-country if one not already knows what one is looking for? (the same goes for The Sailing Wiki) And Portbrooker is of course only a site to reserve a place in a port. All the above also lacks all info about what it costs to moor in respective port. The thought is that one don’t have to click around on links and/or send mail in order to get information on facts like location and costs. I do not know with you, but if one plans to sail around fore a couple of months or years I think it is good to know some about the expenses in different ports. Because the database is map based it’s easy to see if the port is simple or difficult to approach and to see in which environment it lies in. If the harbor is close to the town center or lie in a industrial area also influences the choice of port.

Well, that’s my thoughts. I might be way out on the limb here, but I just think that if I find a database like this one useful – why shouldn’t others do the same???

/Skipper on S/Y Delphin III
 
Alternatively, why not post your intended cruise harbours on this forum. Ask locals to give give you info.

That way it'll be up to date. You may even be offered cheap or free of charge moorings.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I might be way out on the limb here

[/ QUOTE ]I think you probably are. The concept is desirable, but the task is too formidable for one person. Sooner or later Reeds will get the idea of marketting an on-line edition of its annual harbour information for Europe and North America, and that probably will be the way to go. There is a rumour that might be announced later this year.

Otherwise there would be merit in joining forces with something already well developed to improve it. Noonsite for example doesn't include maps or even the precise position of marinas so you can't easily switch to a chartplotter (or GoogleEarth) to pinpoint what is available in a given region. I like Noonsite for its reliable worldwide coverage, but accept it only includes the largest marinas available in any area. As Teredo points out, there are far more thorough local directories on the internet, though these do come and go. Because the trick is to discover these exist in the first place, there are even indexes to these directories such as Mother of all Maritime Links - which tend to be even more incomplete and out of date. Even a well-maintained comprehensive index to these resources would be a plus!

Most of these directories of marinas, including Noonsite, give the website address of the marina itself which is where one would ultimately expect to go for detailed information. Given you're already on the internet, I really don't understand your objection to 'clicking around links' if the signposting is clear.

As for marina prices, even Yachting Monthly struggles to get out the occasional comparison for just a region of UK. Price structures tend to be complicated to make comparisons difficult. Plus of course they change every year. Frankly, I think its impractical to keep abreast of them in anything other than a local directory.
 
Hi Andrew

Thanks for your post.

I never intended to do this on my own. The reason for me to post my request on this forum is to get you sailors to help. If everyone here that has had more or less negative response to my request had given info on one or two harbours that you know about the database had already been on the go… If Reeds start an on-line edition of its books it would be nice, but this database is non commercial and open to everyone to give info. It has the potential to be a lot more colorful and alive then any pilotbook I ever read. And it can be updated every day if the infogiver like…

/R
 
Hi everyone…

Obviously it was a lot harder to activate you readers to contribute to my idea of an mapbased database of marinas then to get viewpoints on the idea it self. Of course its very valuable to hear all your ideas and thoughts on the matter, but I neither have the time or stamina to respond to all of you opinions. Please, if you want to contribute with info – feel free to do so. If you just want to state your opinion, please forgive me if I don’t respond.

Have a nice sailing-season

/R
 
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