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The Northwest Caribbean Guide is ready for you to pick up a copy and head down to the Río Dulce and discover a new flavor of Caribbean Cruising. The Northwest Caribbean Guide covers the Northern Shore of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands (the ONLY guide to do so in ANY detail, you might be surprised at the anchorages available for drafts of less than 6'), the Bay Islands of Honduras (the newest data and charts available since 1990), the mainland of Honduras, and of course Guatemala and the Río Dulce. You'll find the usual detailed charts, waypoints, and short stories about some of the areas you can visit, all in 388 pages. For more info, or to purchase a copy at a 15% discount, please read the above paragraphs. Note: this edition does NOT cover Belize and Mexico.

The Exuma Guide sort of started it all, well, actually it really started with A Cruising Guide To The Exuma Cays Land And Sea Park. I had been cruising the Exumas since 1991 and in early 1993 I found myself back in those same cays. I was at Warderick Wells helping then Park Warden Ray Darville at Exuma Park as an Volunteer Assistant Warden. Ray and I decided that we needed something to attract more cruisers to the Park. We also wanted to share with them what we had come to know and love, the waters, cays, and reefs of Exuma Park. One thing led to another and we had soon produced the Exuma Park guide, now only available at the Exuma Park Headquarters at Warderick Wells. The Exuma Guide has just been reprinted in an updated edition through 2004 and will be republished in a new edition late in late 2006 or early 2007..

Well, we had such a good response to the Exuma Park Guide that one day Ray suggested that I should expand the guide to cover the entire Exuma chain. Now I am a man of leisure, and the very thought of this endeavor smacked of work...a word that is seldom seen in my vocabulary. After considerable thought, I forged ahead with the idea and produced The Exuma Guide. With 55 charts and 68 waypoints, The Exuma Guide was the first cruising/chart guide to cover the Exumas and now several other authors and cartographers have jumped on that bandwagon. Many of the earlier soundings were taken from my inflatable with a lead line when my depth finder went haywire. Today, with the guide in it's third edition,, the charts are as accurate as my hydrographic system can make them. I have been to every cove up and down the Exuma chain over the period of three years that it took to produce this book and since then I have resounded the waters and redrawn the charts twice more over three more years. I have struck a couple of reefs and bent a trio of props in my data acquisition vessel, ran aground in IV Play, I don't know how many times, and gotten myself soaking wet taking soundings in all sorts of conditions.

But all this hard work has paid off. I can now run most of these islands at night, though I cannot recommend that anybody else do the same. I've had other cruisers that have sailed along with me complain because I move about in the pre-dawn and post-dusk darkness even though I recommend that they do not. All I can say is: "Do what I say, not what I do!" And as for the local knowledge I have acquired, I share it all with you in The Exuma Guide. Lot's of folks complain that cruising guide writers keep the best spots for themselves. Not here my friends! In fact, the only real complaints I have received, other than those that point out my blatant typos, have been that I've opened up areas that some folks wanted kept to themselves. To them my only response is:: "TOO BAD!" If people see masts in an anchorage they're going to try to find their way in, it is my job to see that they get in safe and sound. During my tenure at Exuma Park I have helped to pull dozens of boats off reefs and sandbars, and I for one do not like to see cruisers in those sad and sometimes dangerous predicaments.

Jack Blackman created the cover art, Tidal Wave At Rest, a beautiful watercolor of the Staniel Cay champion sloop Tidal Wave awaiting rebuilding on the beach at Staniel Cay. Don Reynolds of Sanford, Florida, also contributed several of his fine sketches for this edition.

On And Off The Beaten Path (The Central And Southern Bahamas Guide) seemed like the next logical step to take after covering the Exumas. The books covers the waters from South Florida to the Turks and Caicos and is broken down into two sections. The first is On The Beaten Path, and covers the highly traveled central Bahamas. Island chains such as Bimini, the Berry's, Andros, New Providence, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, Conception Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador are covered in great detail. All the favorite places that cruisers have been visiting for years along with a few firsts, several anchorage hitherto unknown to most and never shown in any other publication (just wait, they'll be popping up everywhere now!). OOBP has been just been updated to 2006 and will come out in a new edition in 2007.

The second section in the book is called Off The Beaten Path, and that is exactly where it takes you, to those areas where few cruisers venture. Here you'll discover in great detail the waters of the Jumentos, the Crooked/Acklins District, Samana, The Plana Cays, Mayaguana, Hogsty Reef, Inagua, and Little Inagua. Here you'll find that these outer islands are definitely within the reach of George Town based cruisers who wish for a little more variety to their cruising than their annual pilgrimage to Mecca provides. This is the first time that the Jumentos have been shown in any detail whatsoever, and this is such a beautiful and pristine island chain! French Wells, Lovely Bay, and Attwood Harbour in the Crooked Acklins District are now destinations that no longer seem daunting. You'll find that the anchorage at Samana is really quite good in all wind directions and that Inagua has some fantastic shore side attractions to explore. The upcoming new edition will contain all new aerial photos and complete coverage of the Bight of Acklins.

Jack Blackman designed the cover as well as painted the lighthouse collage. Inside the book are several sketches by Don Reynolds, a wonderful artist who lives in Sanford, Florida, when he is not cruising.

The Turks and Caicos Guide offers complete coverage of the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as Puerto Plata and Luperón in the Dominican Republic, in fact, it presents the first true chart of Bahia Blanco and Luperón (Bahia Blanco is the harbor, Luperón is the town). The The Turks and Caicos Guide has just been updated in a new, second edition that is now available and is updated to 2006. Look for a new edition, with some new charts, to come out in 2007.

So often cruisers bypass the Turks and Caicos Islands on their way to and from the Caribbean. Part of the reason for this is that until now there were no guides specifically aimed at this archipelago. What coverage was given in other publications was sparse at best. In this guide you'll find the latest info about all the standard anchorages and routes that cruisers have been using for years as well as info gleaned from my own explorations and local knowledge. Too often cruisers think that the only anchorage at Provo is Sapodilla Bay. They've completely missed the point of cruising if they don't take the time to sample Grace Bay, Leeward Going Through, or some of the cays between Provo and North Caicos. Provo has been pooh-poohed in the past by other writers as well as some cruisers who didn't take the time to stop and "smell the roses." It is a fantastic place for dining out and re-provisioning as well as having repairs done...even haul-outs! You'll also learn how easy it is to cross the Caicos Bank and discover the wonderful folks of South Caicos and the magnificent reefs off Ambergris Cay.

In the Turks Islands, I have tried to make it easier for cruisers to enter the wonderful, protected anchorage at North Lake on Grand Turk. The forbidding entrance is well charted and if you follow the instructions, you should not run into problems. Stop by and visit charming, old world flavored, Salt Cay. And if you're preparing for the jump to the DR, you'll find out just how good a waiting spot Great Sand Cay can be. Once you approach the waypoint at Luperón, you'll discover that unlike cruisers in the past, you now have a decent chart to get you into the anchorage. And what a destination Luperón is! Living is easy here and lots of folks don't want to move on for a while, they'd rather stay and sample the ambiance and good prices on beer, wine, cigarettes, and dining out. For those that do head on, or plan to skip Luperón entirely, I include a chart of Puerto Plata and describe in detail shore side attractions on that stretch of the DR coast.

The front cover art, Waves Breaking At Mudjin Harbour, Middle Caicos, is by Provo local artist Dwight Outten. The back cover art, Fishing Sloop At Middle Caicos, is by another Provo local artist Phillip Outten, not a close relation to Dwight (a pretty talented family, those Outtens).

As usual with my work, The Abaco Guide is a bit of a first. Although several other authors have covered the Abacos, and Grand Bahama, this is the first publication that covers the Abacos, Grand Bahama, and the Bight of Abaco in one book. Not only that, but you will find a new route into the Bight of Abaco from the north that saves a lot of time backtracking and will carry 5 1/2' at MLW, a sort of Northwest Passage if you will. This should open up the Bight to more cruisers. When this book first came out I told everyone that read the book or saw it here that when other guidebooks pick up on this and show the same route, just remember that you saw it here first! Well, that has come to pass as a competitor has taken my route and waypoints and now shows it in his guide with no mention of where it came from...some people have no eithics! A new, edition, updated to 2006 of The Abaco Guide is now available. Look for another updated edition in 2007.

My aim has become to present as complete and accurate a package as possible for the entire Bahamian archipelago and The Abaco Guide completes this project. Jack Blackman has once again created the artwork for the cover. Jack's beautiful montage features Hole in The Wall Light, Hope Town Lighthouse, and street scenes from New Providence and Hope Town.

The Puerto Rico Guide covers Puerto Rico and the Spanish Virgin Islands with 50 color charts and 90 waypoints, all of which makes navigation in these waters very easier. In the appendices you will find a comprehensive listing of all marine facilities on the island including where to get propane and where to access your email.

For years, few cruisers have viewed Puerto Rico as a destination, so many considered Isla del Encanto (Island of Enchantment) as merely a stopover, a place to provision or hide from a hurricane on a longer cruise whose goal was usually the islands of the lower eastern Caribbean. Today that has changed. Puerto Rico has certainly come into her own as a destination worthy of a season or two. It's not that this has happened overnight, it's just that people are only beginning to realize what Puerto Rico has to offer, and that is a lot my friends. Yes, excellent hurricane protection and provisioning, but numerous good anchorages, reef diving, world-class fishing, and a friendly, open people, many of whom are boaters themselves.

The dual island nation of Trinidad and Tobago sits at the extreme southern end of the arc of islands that make up the Eastern Caribbean chain. Trinidad is the primary destination of most cruisers headed to the Eastern Caribbean with Chaguaramas being the Mecca for the cruising sailor in these waters. The Trinidad and Tobago Guide contains 29 color charts with 42 waypoints, and that coupled with the text will guide you safely around Trinidad and Tobago both by water and by land. You'll learn of the history of the islands as well as where to get the cheapest groceries or pick up a tank of propane. You'll learn that Trinidad has an abundance of boatyards around Chaguaramas Bay, while Trinidad's sister island Tobago has no marinas at all, but great diving! You'll learn about Carnival, the biggest party of them all and how to prepare for it, and you'll find that the siren call of Trinidad is far stronger than you may realize, even the Immigration officials know this as they'll often give cruisers the maximum allowable stay even though it's not requested...they know you will fall in love with Trinidad and Tobago, you just don't know it yet.

The Leeward Islands Guide contains 82 charts covering St. Martin/Sint Maartin, Anguilla, Saba, Statia, St. Kitts, Nevis, The Kingdom of Redonda, Monteserrat, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, and Dominica. This spiral bound edition is the new look that Seaworthy Publications is presenting and makes it easy to lay the book flat in the cockpit. The French fold-over flap makes it easy to keep you place besides listing the flags of each nation in full color.

The Windward Islands Guide covers the islands from Dominica southward to Trinidad and covers Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Carriacou, and Grenada.

The latest in the Eastern Caribbean series is this guide to the Virgin Islands. I had originally wanted to name the book, "The Three Virgins," but that never came about. However, the book does cover the three Virgin Island groups: the Spanish Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with charts, waypoints, and aerial photos.