The Heikells’ work is never done. This volume alone covers 7,000 miles of indented coastline with a wealth of natural anchorages and harbours. Yacht numbers are increasing, new marinas are being built, ports privatised and facilities improved. Nevertheless there are still ‘places in this sailors’ paradise that are mostly overlooked by sea-borne visitors’ – and Heikell has decades of experience to guide us there. This year’s revision focusses on the Ionian, the Saronic and the less frequented but intriguing coast of Northern Greece (Thessaloniki to Samothrace) where we are promised ‘some of the grandest scenery and finest sandy beaches’. Greek Waters is a splendid volume but, even by pilot book standards it’s weighty. There will be a pdf version.
Read MoreFor the first-time sailor dreaming of the Med, this book is a must. Rod Heikell’s initiation was in 1976 in a 20ft plywood yacht. Since then, he’s upsized and up-skilled, producing an extensive series of detailed cruising guides with wife Lu. This book offers the overview, including ways to get there if you don’t want to sail. Checklists and regulations are brought up to date, as are costings. There’s plenty of shrewd advice for the longstay sailor as well as the summer holidaymaker and, for the returner, the passage-planning section may inspire more unexpected explorations into the diversity of this inland sea.
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