guide to

Cruiser's guide to the 50th State

Cruising Guide for the Hawaiian Islands. Edited by Arlo W.Fast and George Seherg. Published by Pacific Writers C orporation Honolulu, Hawaii, 1981. 184 pp. US Library of Congress No. 80-84646. No ISBN, price, provided.

With a coastline of about 1200 kilometres or 750 miles as the metrication-resistant American authors of this book say the Hawaiian Islands must certainly be worth cruis ing. This work, for its part, must certainly make such a cruise more enjoyable entertaining, and easier on the nerves, and is an interesting book in itself.

A spiral-bound volume of 184 pages, it is a no-frills compen dium of information, directions, and snippets that would be useful to anyone but to a cruising yachtsman, invaluable.

Contents include: ‘Winds waves and currents’, ‘The cross ing’ (from California, of course), ‘Entering Hawaiian waters’. Boating facili ties', ‘Anchoring procedures’, ‘Charts’, Sailing directions’, and more besides. These are in fact 33 distinct sections, in the book and a number of excellent colour photographs of some of the scenic delights of the islands.

The book reveals the fact that there arc 13 695 registered vessels in Hawaii not bad for a population of 900 000. On the other hand, it’s rather sad to learn that of all the ethnic groups inhabiting Hawaii, pure Hawaiians account for only one percent. Indeed, there arc more Koreans.

The publishers, editors and their contributors have done a great job, and certainly this writer would find it hard to ask a question about Hawaiian cruising to which this book doesn’t provide a comprehen sive, detailed answer.

It is to be hoped the pub lishers go on to provide similar guides to other Pacific cruising

grounds.

John Collins.