Date: Mon Nov 13, 2000 9:23 am

I bought two sets of Bellingham Charts (Atlantic Islands, Caribbean) for my trip around the Atlantic 10-40N latitudes to Africa and back, and have the following comments:

There are decent value, although hard to read for some people (I had the 2/3 scale) but "on doing it again", I would buy only:

- a couple of copies of the big North Atlantic no. 12 for route planning and registering, from USGS or Bellingham;

- If I feel rich, or I am planning to be "there" more than once, any of the applicable sets of the recent German "Caribbean Yachting Charts" series, by far the best, clearest and most recent charts of the area, showing the insides of the islands as well. I saved by getting away with two of them (out of 5?), combined with the guides, which is enough as money eventually runs out, but what a joy when you have these charts (next best is Imray-Iolaire but not as good and expensive too). - the latest edition of the best guides for each of the Archipelagoes you plan to visit, eg, Ann Hammick: The Atlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verde); Chris Doyle's 2 books on Leward and Windward Islands; Bahamas Yachting Guide.

- A few detailed maps of harbors of potential refuge or repair, eg,

- Casablanca and Dakar on the African Coast (but I did not actually buy these two, just an afterthought after I convinced my offshore insurance company to allow these two places for possible emergency, despite their exclusion of Africa),

- Beaufort NC and Bermuda for the return landing (depending where a storm may push you: we went through ICW from Beaufort to Norfolk and that was pleasant but enough of the ICW, for which you buy the appropriate guide locally), and

- Luperon on the North Coast of Hispaniola, close to the Haiti border (Puerto Plata near by is a useless commercial port). I also bought (in Yachthaven, St.Thomas USVI) the route chart between Luperon and West Caicos, but could have done without it, would have rather a detailed chart of LUPERON, Santo Domingo (west of Puerto Plata) if it can be found, instead of a brief sketch illustrating my notes from a BVI cruiser who had been there... Fortunately, the bottom is mostly soft mud once you have negotiated the entrance between two reefs and turned right into a momentarily marked channel... Now that the local mafia has been broken by a wonderful entrepreneur who will serve you most honestly at anchor with his boat, and welcome you at his restaurant in town, Luperon is a must stop if you are not jumping directly from the Virgin Islands to the US East Coast via Bermuda or not. Many cruiser come for a night or a couple of days, and decide to stay through the next hurricane season, and there is plenty of room at anchor!!!

Date: Mon Nov 13, 2000 9:32 am

Dear Howard: Besides my previous message "to All" discussing my experience with charts including Bellingham, which I would not buy again for my sabbaticruise, I am not sure we want to allow this kind of "publicity" on our website: where would we stop?

Bellingham advertizes in most classic periodicals, from Sail to Offshore, Blue Water and Cruising World, and that is enough for our use. My crew hated them for poor reading, although that did not bother me, as long as I used my lighted magnifying glass. But even with that, their Dominica and St. Vincent charts were almost useless. The fact that I would not buy them if starting all over, and would be glad to sell at a deep discount my 1999 series, should be enough to keep us away from linking to them.