Solent Cruising Companion

Derek Aslett

Fernhurst Books

£35.00

Derek Aslett has been cruising and racing in the Solent for 50 years and this is the 4th edition of his Solent Companion. It’s indisputably a useful volume for visiting sailors to carry aboard and its recent updating with QR codes to take the reader through to harbour websites is a welcome innovation. Looking across from text to chartlet with the eyes of a stranger, however, I didn’t always see the feature being talked about.

Perhaps, also, established cruising companions need to give more recognition to current environmental projects, such as the Solent wild oysters project, evident in marinas such as Langstone harbour or the efforts to encourage sea grass regeneration which is attempting to establish a voluntary no anchor zone in Osborne Bay.