Advice on Essential Guides for the Caribbean

[Lagoon4us]

We are planning on exiting Florida for Bahamas in March '12 what do you recommend as essential reading for routing that area?
Looking at southing fairly quickly then cruising north in 2013.
Sant?...... Suggestions?

[Talbot]

My understanding is that Doyle's Guide is the best.

[Waterway Guide]

Waterway Guide for Bahamas & Turks/Caicos (alright...I'm shameless), and everyone I know uses the Doyle Guides or Scott Guides for the caribbean. Frankly, I always get each of the guides available for an area...a few bucks for some extra insight never hurts.

[Lagoon4us]

I'll be going through the guides and various left on board when we take over in Jan/Feb just nice to have a list, Cheers all.

[s/v Jedi]

First the basics: get the Reeds almanac, Caribbean edition.

Now that you have all essential info for the Caribbean, incl. charts, you can buy additional guides for finding good bars and stories. For some mental support when going beyond the Bahamas I can advice the van Sant guide.

cheers,
Nick.

[FSMike]

For the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos get Steve Pavilidis' guides and the Explorer charts. Include Steve Dodge's guide to the Abacos if you head up there.
Bruce Van Sant's book is also very helpful for both areas (and farther South).

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by FSMike

For the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos get Steve Pavilidis' guides and the Explorer charts. Include Steve Dodge's guide to the Abacos if you head up there.
Bruce Van Sant's book is also very helpful for both areas (and farther South).

Indeed!

[ActiveCaptain]

ActiveCaptain is free. It covers the entire Caribbean, not just a part of it.

The new shared routes capability puts the routes used by thousands of other captains at your disposal. You can explore them, copy them, modify them, or just dream about them. There is no other database of routes like ActiveCaptain's anywhere in the world that shares this much data. It's a very new capability that was released this quarter. There is much more coming with it.

[Amapola]

Don't leave home without your Explorer Charts which also include information on all the islands of The Bahamsas. We also have most every guide on the market. One can never have enough information.

[Lagoon4us]

Thanks heaps we are checking all the advice and will stock up prior, appreciated very much.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by ActiveCaptain

ActiveCaptain is free. It covers the entire Caribbean, not just a part of it.

The new shared routes capability puts the routes used by thousands of other captains at your disposal. You can explore them, copy them, modify them, or just dream about them. There is no other database of routes like ActiveCaptain's anywhere in the world that shares this much data. It's a very new capability that was released this quarter. There is much more coming with it.

Just joined thank you....

[s/v Jedi]

It sounds like Reeds almanac is as unknown here as it is authoritive in northern Europe :-) Probably not enough advertisements with colorful pictures in it haha

cheers,
Nick.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

It sounds like Reeds almanac is as unknown here as it is authoritive in northern Europe :-) Probably not enough advertisements with colorful pictures in it haha

cheers,
Nick.

Or Shielas in bikinis on front :-)