Book Reviews

Price: £29.99

There is a subtle difference between a cruising companion and a pilot book and this production is definitely in the former category as not only is there very comprehensive pilotage information but also a wealth of detail about shoreside facilities and amenities. It is the best cruising companion/pilot book it has been my luck to read or review. It is written with snippets of humour and many anecdotes. There are local stories, legends and history which make reading it, leave alone using it practically, a real pleasure.

It comprehensively covers the coast from Kilrush on the Shannon to Kilmore Quay in County Wexford in the south-east. I have cruised this area many times in the last 40 years from South Devon and thought I knew every inlet and anchorage but Robert Wilcox has found a few more. Unlike some recent reviews, I could not find any errors. However he does not mention the strong tidal flow through Castlepark marina in Kinsale which I found to my cost.

The introduction is comprehensive. Tidal streams, of which information in this area is rather scarce, are well explained as are the ambiguities in place names. Weather forecasts, safety, charts, communications, bars (both tidal and refreshment), restaurants, provisioning, fuelling, and transport ashore are all covered. He also suggests itineraries and has advice about sea crossings to reach the area.

The production is first class and well laid out. The photos are all very clear and often aerial with excellent chartlets in full colour. The problem with these books is they are soon out of date, for instance the beacon on Black Horse rocks at Crookhaven is now lit and there are new lights and buoys at Courtmacsherry but Wiley Nautical supply a card for you to return and get updates by post or e-mail. So, in summary, this will greatly enhance your cruising in this fantastically beautiful and interesting cruising ground even if you think you knew it all. - Norman Tricks

Extra content for this book can be viewed on the Publisher's Website click here. 

For anyone who has a boat that can explore more than the canals, this book is an essential reference to all the navigable waterways of England, Wales and Scotland. Originally published by Imray in 1939 and derived from Bradshaw's guide of 1904, the 1998 edition has been out of print for several years and it's good to see it back and improved.

This edition records for the first time a growing network that isn't simply based on restoration of old waterways. The Ribble Link making the Lancaster Canal accessible to many boats and the Liverpool Link connecting the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Albert Dock are entirely new waterways and are the forerunners of more ambitious schemes whose plans are described here, including the Fens Waterway link with new links from Crowland to Peterborough and the associated Bedford to Milton Keynes link, a new Daventry Canal and the Higher Avon extension from Stratford to Leamington Spa. The Falkirk Wheel represents a new solution to an old problem.

The work of restoration continues with the Droitwich, Stroudwater and Thames and Severn canals among others, and changes in administration include the IWA's adoption of the management of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, a departure for them in their 60th year which may have greater significance in the future.

The layout of the book has been improved by the addition of colour pictures throughout and more colour in the chartlets. Although the level of detail doesn't compare with popular multi-volume guides such as Nicholson's, it does record the position of every lock and many bridges and the size limits for each waterway making it a useful planning tool. The only significant waterway that I found not to be described is the River Cleddau in Pembrokeshire, with several tributaries, which is accessible on the way to and from Ireland (the Towey, Tawe and Usk might also be included). The appendix describing disused waterways has been expanded to a very useful 15 pages and the other appendices have a wealth of information. It's a pity they have decided not to include full size chart that was a feature of previous editions.

Chris Moss

 

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

Publisher:Adlard Coles Nautical, £24.99
Publication Date: 2009

I find it salutary to pick up a book of this nature and realise how much sailing lore I have forgotten – or perhaps never knew – during more than half a century of small boat handling. Nonetheless, such volumes are a catalyst to memory, frequently offering details in modern language of newly-introduced equipment and techniques, sometimes providing enjoyable reading as an exercise in itself.

' The Sailing Bible' is an excellent example of the genre. After 22 introductory themes, it lists 81 topics divided between dinghy and cruiser sailing. Ranging from 'Enjoying the ride' to 'Racing round the course'; 'Choosing a yacht' to 'Good cruising' [areas] and it is hard to think of any omission, although yacht racing gets scant mention. Then follow 53 pieces that include navigation, weather, maintenance and safety, and these latter have a natural bias towards cruising. In every case the information is clearly but succinctly given in at least one page-opening, sometimes more and the index alone extends to eight pages. Everything is illustrated by plentiful diagrams or photographs of the subject in hand and many of these are dynamic action shots.

The work, quite hefty for a primer, is clearly printed on good quality paper and strongly bound in hardback of a quality that justifies the price. It is an attractive encyclopaedia for the experienced and tyro alike.- Edward Cartner