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We were longtime Commodores in the SSCA, a loose collection of cruising people. The SSCA website www.ssca.org provides on-line access to issues of its monthly “Commodores’ Bulletins” which has a wealth of information submitted by members around the world. The site also has forums and other features of value to cruisers. We recommend this international organization.
Another site which gathers all sorts of information for cruising sailors is Noonsite. This started from Jimmy Cornell's books and cruising rallies and is now updated by cruisers everywhere. Of particular interest are descriptions of official procedures and facilities available in many ports, and letters about piracy and burglary.
Sailmail provided our email service via SSB (Single Sideband) radio. This was too slow to permit web browsing but allowed email to be sent and received at any time and at any place on earth. There were Sailmail radio stations at several places on land which provided the interfaces between radio signals and the Internet. Subscribers paid an annual fee and could use the service for up to 90 minutes per week. We found this to be fairly reliable and extremely valuable.
Our catamaran was designed by John Gross and built by his Fastback company just south of Brisbane, Australia. Only eight of the Fastback 43 models were ever produced but many smaller (30 and 32 feet long) Fastbacks have been built. There is a Facebook group which has photos and other information about these boats.
There are many Internet sites providing weather information. Of special interest to mariners are sites which provide information about winds and waves. One which we used fairly often is Buoyweather which can generate forecasts for practically any location on the oceans. We also relied on GRIB files sent via Sailmail from Saildocs.com (information available on the Sailmail site.) Along the coasts of the USA (and some other countries) the VHF radio provided continuously updated information.
Information about tides is especially important in areas where tidal ranges are high. One website which provides tidal data and other information is Tideschart.