East Coast Pilot

Publisher: Imray Laurie, Norie & Wilson, 2nd Ed, £19.95
Publication Date: 2008

Reviewing the first edition (2005) we said "this new edition sets a new standard for clarity and attractive format". After only 3 years the authors have bettered this with a completely updated edition! There are many more sea level and aerial photographs, taken in excellent weather and many additional chartlets: in particular a two page spread of the Thames estuary extended to include the complex Sunk TSS and the off-lying banks. The text has been thoroughly revised. Good use is made of colour e.g. tabs identifying each geographical section. The introduction gives general information including warnings of pot markers and windfarms. 19 chapters cover the harbours and rivers from Great Yarmouth to Ramsgate including the Thames to Tower Bridge. Each starts with a "rolling-road" diagram showing the course to steer between buoys or from a landfall waypoint to moorings or harbour entrance, with chartlets and copious photographs including many aerial pictures. Each harbour has an information panel succinctly detailing contacts, facilities and principal pubs and restaurants, whilst the text covers salient navigational information. It is designed to be kept open on passage alongside the appropriate chart. The authors state "The East Coast and Thames Estuary is an area of huge and frequent change. We have done our best to ensure accuracy at the time of writing, but even by the time of publication there will have been changes and it is vital for the navigator to watch for these and to exercise seamanlike commonsense, always referring to the most up-to-date charts and published chart correction"; Corrections can be found in a .pdf file on Imray's web site: www.eastcoastpilot.com allowing it to be updated before making a passage. A worthy competitor to the Jack Coote's classic East Coast Rivers (also £19.95), this new pilot cannot be too highly recommended to all East Coast yachtsmen. – RMG