What is your favorite Cruising Guide

Active captain is great for real time information. Sometimes, though, it's nice to leaf through a real book. What are your favorite guide books or series?

All of these group think "aids" should be banned. Formerly quiet little gems are being invaded by the lazy masses who can't be bothered to do a little exploration on their own.

Well exscuse me, Magellan.

I think Skidgear is referring to keeping his special anchorages private. I agree with Skidgear on that, but we all need to realize that some day soon all boaters are going to know everything.

Good or bad? Not up to me to say.

Mike

I just did the ICW from S Carolina to the Keys. I used Dozier’s Waterway Guides. Very informative. I highly recommend them. I used them in conjunction with Active Captain, and a really good chartplotter. KJ

With few exceptions, electronic real time sources of information have replaced cruising guidebooks for me. Active Captain has information on marinas, anchorages, dinghy docks (well not all that good, but neither do the cruising guides handle that well) and some shore based stuff.

Google Maps tells me where to find stuff on shore. If I am looking for a restaurant, bar, grocery store, hardware store, etc I just enter xx store near yy location and Google Maps displays a map showing them.

But there are two printed guides that I enjoy browsing. The guide to the Chesapeake published by Chesapeake Bay Magazine and the Taft/Rindlaub guide to Maine.

David

All of these group think "aids" should be banned. Formerly quiet little gems are being invaded by the lazy masses who can't be bothered to do a little exploration on their own.

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So if I understand correctly, in order to protect your hideaways, the rest of us should be denied local knowledge. Why not go all the way and ban charts as well?

I understand the value of a secluded anchorage. But cruisers just passing through without the time to do the exploration on their own may like to know of a safe place to spend the night or have information on what to expect at a particular lock or marina.

captrigney said:

So if I understand correctly, in order to protect your hideaways, the rest of us should be denied local knowledge. Why not go all the way and ban charts as well?

I understand the value of a secluded anchorage. But cruisers just passing through without the time to do the exploration on their own may like to know of a safe place to spend the night or have information on what to expect at a particular lock or marina.

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I understand his reasoning...but in a ever growing world...secluded anything is eroded by time...not necessarily electronics...it just speeds up the process.

Ever been on a fishing site and someone specifically describes a "hole" or "spot" where they are really biting? The "part timers" go into a feeding frenzy and the "enthusiasts" want the "spot burner" crucified. The enthusiasts always claim that people should be forced to learn on their own and not be spoon fed. Hard to argue when every "good place" you want to go is waiting room only..whether a great restaurant, fishing hole or good anchorage.

I think active captain is great....I use it all the time...flipping though a book is nice but I like to know the phone number I dial, the cost of fuel and slips and that the restaurant finally closed last winter is all up to reasonable date.

Also.... if I miss an unmarked wreck or don't venture down a dead end for miles because of some construction project that saves me a ton of money and fuel....it more than makes up for letting some people in on one of my "secluded spots". I find most "part timers" follow the herd anyway so staying out of the mainstream isn't all that hard even in crowded boating areas.

PS....if you want a nice, quiet getaway..try Annapolis Harbor for the 4th of July...or Newport RI during tall ship week... oh darn....I just posted that on the WWW....

Sceptic said:

but we all need to realize that some day soon all boaters are going to know everything.

Good or bad? Not up to me to say.

Mike

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Active Captain is taking care of that quite nicely.

captrigney said:

So if I understand correctly, in order to protect your hideaways, the rest of us should be denied local knowledge. Why not go all the way and ban charts as well?

I understand the value of a secluded anchorage. But cruisers just passing through without the time to do the exploration on their own may like to know of a safe place to spend the night or have information on what to expect at a particular lock or marina.

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Just lamenting the end of an era. Boating used to be a way to get away from it all. Now packs of lazy "Loopers" armed with laptops and the latest guides swarm/swamp local anchorages, sites and facilities. And the whole objective is to target specific spots...not to just pass through. No, I'm not a fan of the information era or group think or the Great Looper Association. The "Captain whatever" site is the worst. Yes, that's how it is, but I don't have to like it, or facilitate the scourge. The "what's your favorite anchorage threads" are in the same category.

This is a good one.

White Sound Press This along with an Explorer Charts book of the near Bahamas will take care of that end of the islands.

Electronics didn't end solitude on the water...relatively cheap boats and an affluent society has crowded our waterways. There have always been "loopers" and cruisers and adventurers....even in the old days "good spots" attracted those who were in the know. If boats were a million a pop or fuel $20/gallon...I'll bet a lot of waterways in general would thin out.

Quimby's is a good one for the inland rivers, it doesn't list any anchorages (which will please some) I find them on my own using charts.

There is one and only one:

Home | Waggoner Cruising Guide

djmarchand said:

and the Taft/Rindlaub guide to Maine.

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I'll second that one.

I'm an avid Active Captain user (736 posts) and like its content. We used it extensively in planning a recent trip from Seattle to Stockton, CA.

For a cruising guide to PNW waters I like the one AKBASSKING posted the link to.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

There is one and only one:

Home | Waggoner Cruising Guide

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Seconded enthusiastically.

Any of the books from Dreamspeaker Guides by Anne & Laurence Yeadon-Jones.
Cruising Guides | Pacific Northwest | Dreamspeaker Guides