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Note: Links to other web-sites contained in the text below will open a new web page at the linked site. To return to Boativated.com, simply close the new page. Over the years we have purchased and used numerous "cruising guides" for Pacific NW waters. The following is a list of those we think are the best. RECOMMENDED CRUISING GUIDES: DISCLAIMER. Cruising guides are like anchors. There are lots of different ones to choose from and everybody has their own favorites. Some guides are detailed and specific and others are more like coffee table books with lots of pretty pictures. We prefer the former. The following list does not include all the published books. This is just a list of our favorites. There are many others but we are only recommending the books we know about first hand. To purchase one of these books click on the photo or click on the book title. Curt Epperson's book "Keeping Your Boat Legal" is published by Fine Edge publishing. Some of the books reviewed below are also published by Fine Edge. Curt Epperson does not receive compensation for book reviews or for recommendations.
If you have one or more of the cruising guides recommended below, you should still buy Waggoner's. It offers coverage of marinas and resorts, with phone numbers, recommendations and other information you will find very helpful. Click on the photo to order the book.
Dreamspeaker Cruising Guides: A Dreamspeaker Crusing Guide, Vol. 1: Gulf Island and Vancouver Island (Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide) A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide: Vol.2 - Desolation Sound & the Discovery Islands, 2nd Ed. Vancouver, Howe Sound, and the Sunshine Coast: A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide, Volume 3 A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide: Vol. 4 - The San Juan Islands, 1st Ed. A Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide: Vol. 5 - The
Broughtons, 1st Ed. These are perhaps the best "all round" Pacific N.W. cruising guides you can get. Authors Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones have spent many years researching, compiling, writing and editing to create these beautiful books. They are very high quality with many color photos, illustrated color charts and excellent detailed information and advice. These are great books for planning your trip before you leave and taking along for easy reference while you cruise. These guides are very well written and easy to use. The only caveat is, if you buy one you will want the whole set. Click on a book title above to purchase. Published in the U.S. by Fine Edge.com LLC.
Gunkholing in the San Juan Islands Gunkholing in South Puget Sound The format makes it easy to plan an itinerary. Douglass Exploring Series Cruising Guides. (Don Douglass & Reanee Hemingway-Douglass). There are six Douglass guides. They are thorough, very complete, extremely helpful, and overall excellent resources. For Pacific NW cruising we recommend the following: Exploring the South Coast of British Columbia
Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia 2nd Ed. Exploring Southeast Alaska: Dixon Entrance to
Skagway, 2nd Ed.
Exploring Vancouver Island West Coast
Sometimes it's helpful to have a nice big map to see an entire area and plan your cruise. This map shows you the Washington Coast, Puget Sound and south British Columbia all the way to the Queen Charlotte Islands. It makes planning a lot of fun, especially if you have one or more of the Douglass cruising guides. We use ours every year. Click on the map to order.
North of Desolation Sound: A Western Waters Cruising Guide to the Broughton Islands
Anchorages and Marine Parks B.C.
Docks and destinations: Coastal marinas and moorage : a west coast cruising
dock-to-dock destinations guide, San Juan Islands to Port Hardy Sailing Directions British Columbia Coast (South Portion) (Volume 1) United States Coast Pilot 7 (40th Edition, 2008) Pacific Coast: California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Pacific Islands (Paperback, 2008) If you are going cruising in the Pacific NW you must have tide and current tables. MUST HAVE! Here are some recommendations. Ports and Passes : Tides, Currents and Charts for British Columbia and Washington, from Olympia to Prince Rupert Canadian Current Atlas/Juan de Fuca to Straits of Georgia. If you want to save time and fuel you need to know the time and direction of currents in the various areas of Puget Sound. This is the book that will tell you. It has maps of the entire Puget Sound area with arrows showing the direction and strength of currents every day of the year, 24 hours per day. You can calculate the correct page of the book to look at using the formula specified in the book or you can buy the printed tables that do the work for you. Washburns tables will do the job. These publications are all available online at various sites or at West Marine, Fisheries Supply, and other retail marine stores. EDUCATION AND PLANNING BOOKS. There seems no end to the number of books you can buy for general education and planning. The following list just includes our favorites from the ones we own and use. Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook: A Compendium for Coastal and Offshore Sailors How to Read a Nautical Chart : A Complete Guide to the Symbols, Abbreviations, and Data Displayed on Nautical Charts Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual: How to Maintain, Repair, and Improve Your Boat's Essential Systems Offshore Cruising companion : An Indispensible Guide to Preparing Yourself and Your Sailboat for a Safe Offshore Adventure ! The Radar Book: Effective Navigation and Collision Avoidance Local Knowledge: A Skipper's Reference : Tacoma To Ketchikan Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia-II Surviving the Storm: Coastal and Offshore Tactics
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Boativated and Boativated.com. are trademarks of Land and Sea Charters, Ltd. All contents, copyright, 2008. Land & Sea Charters, Ltd., P.O. Box 627, Manson, WA 98831. |
(Jo Bailey & Carl Nyberg). If you are
planning to cruise South Puget Sound, this is a good choice. 
(covers the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound to Port Hardy and Blunden Harbour).
(covers Blunden Harbour to Dixon Entrance, including the Queen Charlotte
Islands).
(If you are planning to cruise to S.E. Alaska, get this book.)
(Peter Vassilopoulos). The updated edition is
now available. This guide often contains information missing from others
that is helpful in choosing one anchorage over another.
(Peter Vassilopoulos). Not everyone wants to anchor all the time.
This is a good guide to marinas and docks.
(Canadian
Hydrographics). This is not a
"cruising guide". It is an official government publication
intended to be a companion to your official charts. Although written more
for large commercial vessels than for recreational cruising it is still a
necessary tool for extended cruising in British Columbia.
This volume covers a huge area of the US
west coast. Chapters 12 & 13 are relevant to Pacific NW
cruising. You can download the individual chapters from the NOAA Office of
Coast Survey website.
This is our tide and current book of
choice. There are lots of others. It costs a bit more money than the
little tide books you find at the store check-out counters. Ports and
Passages has everything you need to calculate tides and currents for a very
large Pacific NW area. The times given in this book are adjusted for
daylight savings. We buy one every year.
(Nigel Calder) This is one of many
cruising "handbooks" available. We own several other books by
Nigel Calder. He is very knowledgeable and experienced and we think his
books are very useful. Some portion of this book gets read on every trip
we take.
(Nigel Calder). We use paper charts in addition to our
electronic GPS Chartplotter. This book makes sense of all the information
contained on your paper chart. If you plan on cruising long distances or
in remote areas this is a good book to read and take along.
(Nigel Calder). Somewhere, sometime, something will break on your boat and
you will have to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it. This book has
been on our boats for a long time. If nothing else, it will give you a
chance to fix something and if you have the basic spares parts you need you will
be able to do what has to be done. Nigel Calder is amazing well versed on
everything on a boat and his books make sense of things.
(John Neal). John and Amanda Neal operate
Mahina Expeditions. They have thousands of miles of experience teaching
people how to blue water cruise. This book covers cruising from A - Z. Its a
great resource.
(Kevin Monahan). You can learn to work your radar
unit by reading the owner's manual but this book makes it easier. We use
it every time we turn on the radar.
(Kevin Monahan). This book really does have local knowledge in it.
If you want to know the best way to avoid problem areas while cruising the
Pacific NW this book is a big help.
(Linda and Steve Dashew). This is an
encyclopedia for cruising sailors. It has more than you will ever
"need" to know but its so packed full of useful information you won't
believe it. If you really want to go long distance cruising or if your
passion is sailing and cruising you should own this book.
(Steve Dashew). Our goal has always been to avoid big storms and heavy
weather. While cruising the Pacific NW it is usually possible to keep
trouble at a distance. However, there are times when storms come us very
quickly or schedules do not permits waiting a day or two. If you plan to
cruise a lot, buy this book and read it. Then keep it on board. If
nothing else it will give you the ability to not screw up and the confidence to
do the right thing when the going gets tough.