The SmarterCharter CATAMARAN Guide: Caribbean: Insiders' tips for confident BAREBOAT cruising

I‘m disappointed. This is essentially a book for people who don’t know how to sail but want to take an 18 ton vessel out in the Caribbean anyways. But because one should never do that in the first point, this book is a complete waste of time and money.I am a relatively inexperienced sailor, but as for the sailing - I’m learning that by… well, actually taking classes and getting on a boat to practice. As much as that sucks financially.What I did hope to get out of this book was specific information about the local, geographic, cultural, and navigational differences in the many places of the Caribbean. Where should beginner sailor’s go, which places require more experience - and why. There are a handful of lines about that. The rest are tips on how to use the VHF.Also, what about the Bahamas? Exumas? Isn’t that the Caribbean as well? It’s not mentioned once.The book spends too much time discussing how to prepare for your trip (what to pack), and how to use a sailboat (how to use its head aka toilet). While it’s important to know how to retrieve a man overboard, that has nothing to with chartering in the Caribbean.An example of the disappointingly misleading titles is Chapter 12 called “Local Knowledge”. It discusses “boat boys” and…. well, that’s it. Boat boys. That’s apparently all the local knowledge you need. It’s interesting to hear about local helpers and the services they offer, but you can hardly stop there.To me, this book feels like a Classic case of a project that wasn’t edited by a professional who would’ve made sure that the content is perfectly aligned with the title.

After sailing virtually all of my life, I was wondering what more I could learn from this book. Now, with an upcoming charter of non-sailors, I was reminded of the essentials for safe sailing. As a result, I have taken notes, and am preparing a written list of items to cover. I knew everything mention, but needed to be reminded, in an organized fashion, that everyone needs to have the same knowledge. We are all going to be in the same boat, so to speak.

A must read for any adult going on a catamaran. This is an excellent primer for those with little to no sailing experience and a great refresher for sailors who haven’t been out for a few months or will be taking novices with them. Easy to read with clear explanations. It covers all the basics.

Coincidence of coincidences....I was just finishing up reading this book when we arrived for our first day of cat charter in the BVI's. I had requested a checkout captain to "show us the ropes" on a catamaran as all our sailing experience was on monohulls. As it turned out the author of this book, Michael Dominican was our checkout captain! Michael noticed the book laying on our salon table and it was a pretty funny coincidence. For us, this book was perfect in terms of bringing you up to speed on the theory of pretty much all you need to know to get going and stay safe out there. Cat sailing IS a bit different and you can shorten the learning curve by preloading your brain with all the info, tips and clearly explained techniques in this book.... I HIGHLY recommend this approach and follow-up by getting a check-ride captain for a few hours or a day like we did. The first day of a charter is stressful enough, this pretty much took the stress out of it! I'll be hanging onto my autographed copy too!

Absolutely wonderful book. I've visited close to half of the islands of the Caribbean ... as a landlubber, never as a sailor. It is like night and day. As a novice catamaran sailor, the information was invaluable. Great insight about customs, questions to ask the charter company rep about your boot, and a zillion other tidbits of information. I have two vacations already scheduled for the upcoming winter and will read this book again. It is so easy to recommend something this great.

A wonderful book! I am going sailing on a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands and the Grenadines this winter and this book is amazing and very helpfull!

I bought it for my husband, but i loved it too. Great information for anyone chartering or even just cruising on on own boat.

Well written and an enjoyable read. Weaved within the abundance of technical information and "local Caribbean knowledge" are real life examples of all aspects of sailing and chartering. Although focused on chartering the Caribbean, anyone who sails would benefit from this book. Highly recommended.