Cruising Guide to Western Florida

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 4th ed., 1998

ISBN 1-56554-365-3;£21.95; CA 15329

In the introduction, the author says "depths of five to six feet are considered quite respectable in Western Florida". One must keep this in mind when reading the text. A reference to shallow water is considerably less than 5 feet.

The guide starts in Flamingo and goes north to St Marks River in the Big Bend. Each chapter has details of anchorages, marinas and shoreside facilities. The details include depths at the entrance and at the marina in addition to whether or not they accept transients, together with interesting bits of local history. Highlighted at the end of each chapter are navigational information for the anchorages covered in the chapter. At the beginning of each chapter there is a list of the NOAA charts relevant to the area. There are black and white photos and chart sketches. These are placed so as to be easy to refer to while reading the descriptions.

The incredible detail on depths and facilities included in this guide could make a cruise of Western Florida very enjoyable and avoid a series of groundings. -CA

Page created 29 March 1999