So what I'm really wondering is, was there something similar to air traffic control? Would they have someone row out and assign them a dock? Or would the ship just coast into whatever one was open? Or some other option?
Hi, I'm on my phone so haven't reread all the links, and can't remember whether they discuss the subject of a harbour master or other authority/controller, but you may find something of interest here : this post links to a handful of others