Warren, thanks for the post and the link (which is nicely done).
For those of us in the Other Ocean and who haven't made it to your side yet, how about sharing your thoughts on
charts & guides for the Pacific run. While there's a ton of stuff one can get, I'd welcome hearing what you found you actually *needed* - both for safe pilotage and to help create an understanding for where you've been so far.
E.g. WRT
charts, I wonder how essential Charlie's Charts are for steep-to island groups like the
Marquesas (vs. copies of a few NIMA charts), yet I wonder if anything is good enough for the Tuamotus. The Pacific is so large, are any of the guides more than synopses - as opposed e.g. to our last season in the Spanish Rias, where the guide talked about every town, anchorage & lace maker. Meanwhile, we enjoy
learning about the 'big picture' from Lonely Planet Guides (for us, more satisfying than Fodor's, Rough, et al.) but wonder if the Moon pubs are better for your neck of the woods.
Lots to ponder and, of course, a
budget to honor...so hearing a bit about what you'd put in the 'essential pubs & charts' category would be very helpful, indeed.
Jack
P.S. Hey, did you two use a worm hole for Stephanie to end up sailing out of Bilbao? (Neat place!)