Essential Sailing Destinations: The World's Most Spectacular Cruising Areas

The quintessential dream of sailing into a secluded bay off a beautiful deserted white sand beach with swaying palms is one that until recent years was a reality only for a very privileged few. Today, practically anyone can turn that dream into a reality. Navigation has never been easier with the arrival of GPS, satnavs, chart plotters, and a host of other electronic wonders. All around the world, charter bases have sprung up offering bareboat, flotilla, or skippered and crewed charters. You can now charter a boat from Thailand to the Tuamotus, the Arctic to Alaska.

The choice is vast, so a little local knowledge is welcome. Essential Sailing Destinations brings together a flotilla of talented sailors who have lived the dream and between them sailed in practically every corner of the globe. They reveal their favorite sailing destinations and provide expert advice for less experienced sailors. Essential Sailing Destinations explores a wide and varied range of sailing areas, including the multicultural Mediterranean; the havens, rivers, and bays of America's East Coast; and the balmy seas of Australasia and the Indian Ocean, peppered with some of the world's most stunning archipelagos. Whether you dream of relaxing under the star-strewn night skies of Mexico s majestic Gold Coast or partying in the star-studded nightclubs of the fabulous French Riviera, Essential Sailing Destinations will inspire you to go sailing and live the dream for yourself.

Each entry includes a locator map and useful at-a-glance information, including best cruising months, local languages and currency. Destinations are rated as to navigational difficulty, family friendliness, facilities for diving, shoreside eating, and sightseeing.