Cornell`s World Cruising Routes

[thalassobiote]

After months of usage of the said book (old edition bought on alibris) I confirm what said by other users.
It is perfect for a quick reference on pre-planning. For example, I have been asked to deliver a boat A to B and wanted to know if the season is right. For stuff like that is unvaluable.
As soon as you go further you need more scientific publications.

[Littlechay]

I agree with a few people who have recommended Ocean Passages of the World. Buy an older edition that comes with the charts though. Cornell's book is a lot of words in great fat tomb that can better be told in a few charts.

Ocean Passages, pilot charts and used with modern sources such as COGOW and Global ocean currents is the way to go. Oh and talking to people who have been there and done that.

[roverhi]

Jimmy Cornell feels the government Pilot Charts are not that accurate in our current weather conditions. He's published his own set of revised pilot charts based on current observations by sailors. That might be a better way to go for planning.

His 'Ocean Passages' is a reprint of older British Pubs based on sailing ship experiences tempered with a bit of his own input. Valuable for planning purposes but may not reflect your actual experience on the route. Use the book for initial planning and then revise based on current weather.

[robert sailor]

I'm sure the Jimmy Cornell has not sailed "all" the routes in his book but I know he has sailed a lot of them. I met up with him in Hawaii about 15 years ago and had a nice visit. He was just on his way back from the Antarctic and I asked him why he bothered to sail that far south. He told me that many writers are armchair sailors and he was always going to sail the routes he talked about in his books, when he no longer could he would quit writing.

[Littlechay]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

He was just on his way back from the Antarctic and I asked him why he bothered to sail that far south.

Don't forget that the part of Antarctica that Cornell sailed to is only as far south as Southern Alaska or Southern Greenland - It isn't "that far" south.

The fact is that nothing in Cornell's books is new or even up to date, it's all available for free online these days. His books are an expensive re-hash and honestly had their day about 20 years ago.

The only good thing is that you can take them with you and most of us can't take the internet. Having said that once your planning is done for a particular voyage you don't need Cornell or the internet or Ocean passages of the World. I have Cornell's "World cruising routes" because it was on the reading list for a course that I once did. I wouldn't buy it again or particularly recommend it; Ocean passages of the world is very good; buy the 1973 edition as it cheaper and comes with a useful set of charts for pulling out and planning/drooling/dreaming over.

[thalassobiote]

I see that the debate over this book is always lively!