It was a surprise to be asked to review a map, but this is a first edition revising one that has been around since the 1950s and for the last 20 years as part of a “guide” with commentary by Derek Bowskill.
The content of this completely revised map has been annotated with notes and colour photographs by Dave Wise, who knows the river intimately from his experience as a canoeist. The notes make interesting reading about the River and its surroundings giving fascinating insights which will help one enjoy a cruise along it, even though some of the photographs are already dated!
The Medway has been divided into three strips: Rochester to Maidstone; Maidstone to Yalding and Yalding to Tonbridge. The first section is tidal as far as Allington Lock so one needs to make one’s tidal calculations for both bridge heights and depths of water to cater for both air and water drafts.
However, it is disturbing to find that along the non tidal reaches there are bridges with no height information shown, for example the footbridge by the Maidstone Canoe Club or the Anchor Footbridge shown on the Hampstead Lane Canal inset. The solution is to download from the Environment Agency’s web site: Environment Agency - Guides and publications the comprehensive “Medway Navigation Bridge Profiles” but one should not have to! Another useful guide from the Environment Agency is: the booklet “River Medway, A User’s Guide” published in 2006 and also downloadable as a pdf document.
Ian Galletti
Imray; £7.95; 2012
Companion to ‘Yachtmaster for Sail and Power’, also recently reviewed, this volume is by Alison Noice as well, sometime doyenne of the RYA training department. Within its 106 full colour pages sets of exercises are provided, covering all aspects of the syllabus not just the navigation sections. As is usual with these publications, a chart accompanies the book, in this case of the Channel Islands and adjacent waters not the fictitious 'RYA land' of the current training charts, and it is, depending on your view, perhaps the better for that . Those who are familiar with this area will know that with its fast tidal streams and rocks sticking up all over the place it can furnish a rich and demanding location for navigation, pilotage and passage planning exercises. 
I looked forward to reading this, the latest offering by the renowned sailing author and it did not disappoint. Rod Heikell, known as “Rod the God”, will be familiar to anyone who has sailed in Mediterranean waters for his very comprehensive and well researched Pilot books.
