The information provided must be reliable, as vessels may have as little as two feet of clearance under its keel. The fluctuation of the tides can be greater than that, depending on wind strength and direction. Data monitoring by professional oceanographers is the key to the systems' success. I am extremely pleased that our Department of Environmental Management is working together with NOAA to make sure that ships traveling to and from our local ports do so safely, and without spilling their cargo. The NOAA team looks forward to working with our partners in Narragansett Bay.
Recreational boaters can make use of both the tide and weather data.