OCC CRUISING INFORMATION SERVICE

George Curtis, Blacksmiths Cottage, Aston Tirrold, Oxfordshire, OX11 9DQ, England

Tel/Fax:+44 (0) 1235 850794; e-mail cis@oceancruisingclub.org

 

Pacific Notes – Books and Charts

Information Date: October 2000

From: Graham Morfey

Boat: Flight of Time, LOA 45ft, Draft 6.5ft

Additions by George Curtis 2002

Charts

Admiralty are excellent, get as many as you can afford. A lot of large scale charts have now disappeared from the catalogue and it is necessary to get the local country’s charts. New Zealand charts are listed in the Admiralty catalogue.

Charts used were either Admiralty or French (SHOM). Care should be taken to check numbers against the current catalogue since numbers and coverage are constantly changing. The Admiralty publishes a number of New Zealand charts.

French charts proved excellent for French Polynesia; they were large scale and up to date.

They can be obtained from Kelvin Hughes or direct from SHOM (who are very quick),(13, Rue du Chatellier, 29200 Brest, Fax 02 98471142)

Books

Some books are more useful than others whilst some are useless. What you buy will depend upon your budget. This list is in priority order. Unfortunately, some books recommended by other books come into the “useless” category usually because they are far too general.

Pilots

Get the Admiralty for every area. They have more detail than many of the yacht pilots and will substitute for large scale charts.

NP 7 Balboa to Galapagos

NP 61 Niue,Tonga, Minerva

NP 51 New Zealand

NP 62 Marquesas to Cook Islands

Landfalls of Paradise, Cruising guide to the Pacific Islands – Earl R Hinz, 1999, ISBN 0-8248-2115-7

Cruising Guide to Panama, incl. San Blas & Pacific Isles- Nancy Schwalbe Zylder and Tom Zylder, 1996, ISBN 0-9639566-3-9

Pacific Crossing Guide The RCC Pilotage Foundation, 1997, ISBN 0713644427

Charlies Charts – Very good and now well thumbed

Tahiti & Society Islands – Marcia Davock a bit out of date but still very useful

Tonga – Moorings Guide – Invaluable

Haapai by Phil Creegan. Useful but use with caution

Fiji - Geoff Betteridge, 509 Scenic Drive, Waiatura, Auckland 1232 NZ is planning to publish a new Fiji guide in 2003. Phone 649 814 8950.

Vanuatu - The electronic Vanuatu guide at www.Cruising-Vanuatu.com and available from the Port Vila Cruising Yacht Club or via the Web is at the leading edge for Pilot Book technology. A similar guide for New Caledonia is planned (Late 2003) – try the same web site.

Technical

Metservice Yacht Pack ISBN 1 877197-08-4

Background Books

Lonely Planet series - get all the books for each area

South Pacific Handbook – Moon publications

Ecuador & Galapagos Handbook Footprint publications

Marquesas and Tuamotus:

Typee - Hermann Melville

Fatu Hiva - Thor Heyerdahl

The Kon Tiki Expedition – Thor Heyerdahl

Tonga

Tonga Islands, William Mariner’s Account (Tonga in 1805)

Polynesia and Melanasia:

Happy Isles of Oceania – Paul Theroux

The Spice Islands Voyage – Tim Severin

Galapagos:

Floreanna – Margret Wittmer

My Father’s Island – Joanna Angermeyer

Early Voyages:

Captain James Cook – Richard Hough

Voyage of the Beagle –Charles Darwin

Life and Death in Eden – Trevor Lummis about Pitcairn (Good for info. on Marquesas)

In search of Tusitala – Gavin Bell (about R.L Stevenson)

Wildlife:

Coral Reef fishes – Collins Pocket guide

The Snorkellers Guide tot the Coral Reef, Paddy Ryan, ISBN 0-908988-00-1

Books on Whales, sea life, trees, plants,

A Guide tot eh Birds of Fiji and Western Polynesia, Dick Watling, ISBN 982-9074-01-06

Cruising accounts:

eg Moitessier, David Lewis, Marcia Pirie, Hiscock,

Paul Gauguin – Letters from Brittany & South Seas

Cookery:

Try and get a book on cooking tropical foods ( we did not think of this)

Websites : -

Bishop Museum in Hawai

-Panama Canal

The OCC Cruising Information Service is provided by the OCC. The information is supplied to the OCC by members and is for OCC members only. The date given in the above is the date that the members supplying the information visited this place and the information may have changed at any time. The OCC has taken no steps to verify the information, which should be confirmed independently. The OCC accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information and cannot be held liable for any damage howsoever caused whether directly or indirectly or any consequential losses.