Inshore Along the Dorset Coast

Peter Bruce is the well-known author of Solent Hazards and Wight Hazards. Copiously illustrated in colour, the present text provides detailed pilotage of the area from the Shingles to the Bill. This is my first concern: a book on the Dorset Coast should include Lyme Bay and the ports of Westbay and Lyme Regis and , hopefully, boltholes on this inhospitable coast. So the title is misleading. The other concern is that the book is incomprehensible if you do not have a detailed chart(s) in front of you. If you use pilot books to plan possible cruises or to enjoy a virtual reality cruise on winter nights in front of the fire, this book cannot serve these functions. In short, a strictly functional pilot book for use when you have already purchased the relevant large scale charts. Presumably enough yachtsmen in the Solent area have done so, as the book is in its fourth edition. The misleading title should be changed. - Mike Bender