A Cruising Guide To The Dominican Republic Reviewed

Created by doina. Last modified on 2008-03-04 09:47:57
Contributors:
Topic: Books,Charts and DVDs
Countries: Dominican Republic

A CRUISING GUIDE TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Julian Roe and Frank Virgintino
Third revised version published February 2008

Available to be downloaded from: www.noonsite.com/PDF_Files/DominicanRepublicCruisingGuide

This excellent guide to the cruising attractions of the Dominican Republic is truly a work of love. Julian Roe and Frank Virginito seem to know all that is worth knowing about their country and have produced the definitive cruising guide to this Caribbean country which is still little known in the wider world. Their experience comes through from the very first pages when they describe the best routes to approach the island of Hispaniola from the north, which is where most boats come from. There are many tips on the best tactics to make such a voyage as easy and comfortable as possible, and many of those suggestions are quite different to the advice given by other authors.

The first part of the guide deals with practical matters and covers extensively such subjects as local customs and culture, entry formalities, cost of living and labour costs, repair facilities and a host of other useful information. Part two of the books describes every port and anchorage worth mentioning, with coordinates, details on approaches, available facilities, fuel, provisioning, and many other subjects of interest to visiting sailors such as internet access, ATMs, as well as shore attractions. Every port or anchorage is accompanied by the relevant section of a local chart and, occasionally, a colour photograph.

The authors deserve to be congratulated for having produced such a comprehensive guide but also that they decided to make it available for free, something that will be greatly appreciated not only by sailors who will be heading that way in the future but also by other sailors, like this reviewer, who want to know more about this interesting country.