This comprehensive cruising guide will hit just about everything on your wish list, whether you're just beginning to think about cruising in the Bahamas, actively planning your trip, or on the water with the islands already in sight. The promise of the book is that it will take cruising guides into the 21st century, and it certainly achieves its aim. The clear, precise advice is set out in an attractive, pleasant-to-read format that brings the text alive on every page, and the sailing directions are combined with great reference sections on virtually every on-shore resource from laundries to nightlife.

Not only will you use this guide, but you'll find its engaging, witty style makes it a very entertaining read. Mathew Wilson's skills as a sailor and storyteller are well matched as he uses both to advantage, interspersing solid cruising advice with funny personal anecdotes, informing and entertaining his readers at the same time.

The Bahamas Cruising Guide offers newcomers a helping hand right from the start with an introductory section that provides great advice on `eyeball navigation,' and the Guide's sketch charts, with Bahamian waters color-coded for depth, make coastal navigation almost intuitive. The exhaustive reference section includes Blue Pages for Navigation, Seamanship, and Preparation; Green Pages for History, Wildlife, Fishing, and Diving; and Buff Pages for everything to do with the Bahamian infrastructure, from entry formalities to holidays and special events. However, the book's greatest single reference resource is its Yellow Pages, which tell you what you need to know about every port-of-call, and suggests ideas for what you might want to do when you get there.