Wow, there are all sorts of
books that are useful when planning and dreaming toward
bluewater cruising. In the "cruising guide" category a good first book might be Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes". It was an early
purchase for us - it basically tells you where you can
cruise and when and how to get there.
Later on, your friends can get
books for specific cruising areas. Chris Doyle's guides are the most useful ones for the
Caribbean. Bruce Van Sant's "Gentleman's Guide to Passages South" is useful for
boats working their way through the
Bahamas,
Turks and Caicos, DR, etc. to the
Caribbean.
Gwen Hamlin has a nice book list on her website:
The Two Captains - Reference Shelf
As for biographies of cruising families, Liza Copeland has several books. On our
Women and Cruising website, we have a
Kids Aboard section on our resources page. That might give you other ideas:
Women and Cruising Resources - Useful Addresses, Websites, Books, Tips, Articles, Seminars
Good luck,
Kathy