1. I concur with SG, Larry and Tom
2. I recommend Active Captain (free on the web)--spend the winter jotting down the local knowledge, and contact information of each harbor you intend to visit--if you don't want to invest in a dedicated chart plotter and put in plastic sleeves. You will not be able to access Active Captain from you boat without wifi. Cell phone via AT&T is spotty or nonexistent and Verizon is just a little better.
3. A general call to the "harbormaster--xxx harbor" will bring a friendly reply 7 out of eight times and the remaining two will be answered by a local with helpful information. You may get their names from Active Captain--a nice touch when calling but not necessary.
4. invest in good ground gear and be comfortable with it.