Product Description

With 80 sketch charts this is the most comprehensive guide covering The Windward Islands. The Windward Islands Guide contains GPS waypoints, approaches and routes, anchorages, dive sites, an extensive appendix, photos and a bibliography. As with all of Steve's guides it contains sections on history, marina services, and much more useful info.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343596 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-01
• Released on: 2005-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 266 pages

From the Publisher
All of the charts in Steve's books are created using data that is personally collected while visiting each area using a computerized system that interfaces DGPS and depth soundings. The resulting charts are so accurate that SoftChart International, a leading provider of digital charts and navigation data, utilizes them to provide additional detail to supplement government-produced charts.

About the Author
Stephen J. Pavlidis has been cruising and living aboard his 40' sloop IV Play since the winter of 1989. Starting in the Exuma Cays in the Bahamas, Steve began his writing career with his coverage of the Bahamas which includes: "The Exuma Guide" "On and Off the Beaten Path: the Central and Southern Bahamas Guide" "The Turks and Caicos Guide" "The Abaco Guide" THE FIVE GUIDES COVERING THE CARIBBEAN ARE: "The Puerto Rico Guide" "The Trinidad and Tobago Guide" "The Windward Islands Guide" "The Leeward Islands Guide" "The Virgin Islands Guide"

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Anchoring Three words - You Will Roll! You’ve come all this way and almost every anchorage, save a precious few, will roll you, at times gently, at times almost violently, you will have to get used to it. You will learn to utilize a bridle or stern anchor, or you will lose sleep and curse every swell that works its way into your anchorage. At the very least it will make you appreciate the really calm anchorages such as Marigot Bay in St. Lucia, the Tobago Cays, or Hog Island in Grenada. At times it will seem like being underway is much calmer and the motion easier! If this is your first visit to the Caribbean, and say perhaps that you are used to anchoring in areas such as the Bahamas where 15'–20' of water is considered a deep anchorage, well, I have news for you. In the Caribbean, 15'–20' is considered a shallow anchorage, 30'–40'and more being the norm in a lot of places. Quite often you will find yourself anchored next to any one of the numerous charter boats you’ll see in almost every anchorage. You’ll learn to keep an eye on the charterers as they anchor nearby with too little or too much scope at times. This is not an indictment of all charterers, only the few that give all a bad name. Don’t let me scare you off, the Caribbean is well worth a bit of roll, and you will get used to it, tis a small price to pay for paradise! Caribbean Etiquette Proper etiquette is important when visiting foreign lands; lack of it can be embarrassing at the least and can create serious misunderstandings. For instance, when greeting people as you board a bus, give a hearty "Good morning" (if indeed it is morning) all around and it will be returned. The rule is greetings first, business later. Not offering a greeting first may be received as rude. If you approach a home that has a fence, stop at the front gate and say loudly "Inside". If you receive no answer, try again. If there is still no answer, the folks are either not at home or don’t wish to be disturbed. And by the way, when two people are speaking, as with good manners everywhere, it is extremely rude to interrupt. West Indians don’t do it, neither should you. Many Americans judge a man by the grip of his handshake, this does not work in the Caribbean where a soft, gentle hand "embrace" is more the norm. I’ve heard some folks (Canadians and Americans, never the British) say that they are surprised that West Indians do not smile. This can create the misconception that the person does not like the cruiser. This is, to say the least, ridiculous. West Indian manners call for a reserved face to be shown, saving the smile for something funny or someone they are familiar with. The lack of a smiley-face should not imply a negative attitude to the visitor unaccustomed to the lifestyle here in the Caribbean. Finally, let’s discuss a very important subject, it will be a part of a lot that you do here in the Caribbean. Let’s take a moment and touch briefly upon the Caribbean pastime of liming. If you’re invited to join a group for a drink or a bite to eat, by all means, do! Hang out! You’ll be liming! People in the Caribbean can be found liming everywhere, in the streets, in restaurants and bars, at home, or even on your boat. Liming is just chilling, hanging out … get the picture? I cannot end this section on etiquette without mentioning dress. What we cruisers take for granted in the way we dress while aboard is quite different from what is expected of us in public in the Caribbean. In town, a bathing suit is not acceptable and men should wear shirts as well as shoes. We should all dress as we would in going to our local mall when we go into any town in the Caribbean. Shorts and shirts are fine, bathing gear is not and is considered inappropriate. On some of the islands, particularly the French islands, it is not unusual for women to go topless on the beaches and even aboard their own boats, and yes gentlemen, it is rude to stare!

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Guide-The Real Deal
Before purchasing this book, I did a bit of research on the different guides available. One had a lot of advertisements, but was popular. It was more like a Frommers travel book. This one was written by the guy who actually used equipment relied upon by chartmakers for local depth soundings. You could tell by his "local" hints that he really took the time and effort to give you the insider's view. From recomming "Mr.Fantastic" (a local boat vendor who sold us delicious lobster), to recommendations on local restaurants at each of our island stops along the way, this book was fantastic. The black and white pages made it all the more authentic as not being overly commercialized. In each port he gave highly reliable waypoints which I fed into my Garmin GPS, and everything worked like clockwork. His depth soundings in the anchorages were highly reliable as well. Our crew of 6 sailors, all passionate for adventure in the Windward Islands, raved about this book. Other books were aboard, but this one quickly became the one that we relied upon. It was concise and to the point, and we really enjoyed using it. Accolades to Mr. Pavlidis. This is a winner!!

Pretty Good
Lots of great info. Unfortunately in Black and White. Good complement to the "Sailors Guide to the Windward Islands".

A Cruising Guide To The Windward Islands
I bought this book along with the Chris Doyle book. unfortunately THIS book is NOT IN COLOR. :( but if you cant buy the Chris Doyle book this has many b/w images to give you advice on harbor hopping the windward islands. I always like as much info as i can bring when your in the middle of nowhere. ie. the islands.