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Rounding Montaux Point, Lighthouse Bearing W. by S.

NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, in conjunction with the NOAA Climate Database Modernization Program and the NOAA Central Library, is in the process of imaging the entire collection of historical Coast Pilots. The history of the United States Coast Pilot extends back many centuries, when Edmund March Blunt (1770-1862) published the American Coast Pilot in 1796. Blunt's Coast Pilot was not the first book of sailing directions, or even the first such book concerning American waters. However, it was the first book of American sailing directions published in the United States. In 1867 the copyright to Blunt's American Coast Pilot, while in its 21st edition, was sold to the United States. The Coast and Geodetic Survey, an early predecessor to NOAA, published its earliest version of the Coast Pilot, George Davidson's Directory for the Pacific Coast of the United States as an appendix in the 1858 Coast Survey Report.

The following images represent a significant portion of NOAA's Coast Pilot collection, and more volumes will be added in the future. These images are meant for historical research and are not for navigation. They are in a .pdf format, and download time could be significant due to file size.

For a detailed history of the Coast Pilot and sailing directions please visit:
The United States Coast Pilot – A Short History

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The American Coast Pilot, First Edition - 1796

Written by Capt. Lawrence Furlong
Published by Blunt and March
File size - 13.5 MB

The American Coast Pilot, Third Edition - 1800

Written by Capt. Lawrence Furlong
Published by Edmund M. Blunt
File size - 25.8 MB

Report, The Superintendent of the Coast Survey, 1858

Alexander Dallas Bache, Superintendent Coast Survey
Appendex by George Davidson
Published by the Governmnet Printing Office
File size - 33.0 MB

Notes on the Coast of the United States, 1861

Alexander Dallas Bache, Superintendent Coast Survey
Published by the Governmnet Printing Office

Coast Pilot, Pacific Coast, - 1889

Written by George Davidson
Published by the Government Printing Office
File size - 87.0 MB

Pre-Coast and Geodedic Survey Sailing Directions

Eastport to Cape Cod

Cape Cod to Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook to Cape Henry

Cape Henry to Key West

Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands

California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii

Alaska: Dixon Entrance to Cape Spencer

Alaska: Cape Spencer to Beaufort Sea

Great Lakes and Connecting Waterways

Philippine Islands