| Cruising Guides have proliferated over the last ten to fifteen years. Even the most isolated islands now seem to have a guide. This is a good thing. They are generally reliable and offer far more information than traditional charts and pilot books which have been aimed more at large commercial vessels than at the average thirty to fifty foot cruiser drawing five to six foot and not really wishing to anchor in thirty fathoms no matter how good the holding is. This is not to say that the British Admiralty Pilot Books or the U.S. Sailing Directions don't have a home on the modern cruising vessel. The Admiralty Pilot Books are the most comprehensive guides by far and when used in conjunction with Cruising Guides allow you to make landfalls with more knowledge of any dangers and hazards than has previously been possible. Some are more detailed than others but as you travel I'm sure you'll find that these books become the most used books in the entire ships library. |
Title |
Author |
| Anchorages Cairns2Darwin | Leslie Richards (North Eastern Australia including the Gulf Country) |
| Anchorages Darwin2Carnarvon | Leslie Richards (North Western Australia including the Kimberlies) |
| Going Troppo | David Haynes and Sue Mulvany (Northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia) |
| Beacon to Beacon | Queensland Maritime Safety (Gold Coast to Bundaberg, Australia) |
| Coastal Cruising Handbook New Zealand | Royal Akarana Yacht Club (North Island East Coast, New Zealand) |
| 100 Magic Miles of the Barrier Reef | David Colfelt (Whitsunday Islands, Australia) |
| Cruising the Coral Coast | Allan Lucus (Queensland, Australia) |
| Cruising the N.S.W. Coast | Allan Lucus (New South Wales, Australia) |
| Curtis Coast | Noel Patrick (Bundaberg to Mackay) |
| Landfalls of Paradise | Earl. R. Hinz (Islands of the Pacific Ocean) |
| World Cruising Handbook | Jimmy Cornell (World) |