Customer Reviews

The Cruising Guide to Central and Southern California: Golden Gate to Ensenada, Mexico, Including the Offshore Islands

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have used Brian Fagans guidebooks from SD to SF for many years, but this is the best of the lot. We recently led a cruise to the Channel Islands, and made this a "must" for the cruisers, all of whom praised it highly. Really THE guidebook to coastal cruising in Central-Southern California---and a bargain!

From a recent sailing trip out of Santa Barbara through the channel islands I can tell you that this book is invaluable. His treatment of safe ports and refuges (arranged very well but conditions) was fantastic and kept us out of danger.

I found this book to contain many useful tidbits of information, especially about prevailing weather conditions. The author gives insightful and non obvious ways for determining the approach of Santa Ana's which itself is probably worth the price of the book

This is a good book for those interested in cruising the west coast, you can always get something out of the book if you plan to make that trip up the coast, lots of good information to research and make plans from.

After cruising in the Pacific NW for the past two years using the Douglass and Hemingway guides and the Waggoner Guide, we were admittedly spoiled. If that's the quality you expect, you won't get it here. On the other hand, we couldn't find an alternative, and this is better than nothing. The harbor diagrams were nice, but there aren't enough of them and what there are don't provide enough detail. The landmarks mentioned in the text often don't appear in the diagrams. We also noticed inaccuracies, but this could be due to time. For example, the fuel dock in Morro Bay wasn't where the guide said it was. However, the woman at the Visitor Information Center also thought it was in the direction indicated in the book. (For others looking for it, it's across from marker 12, not beyond 18.)

It basically tells you all the places to go to, the best way to get there, and things to avoid when getting there (i.e. shallow reefs). One thing that I appreciated in particular is the talk on winds and how to avoid the Santa Ana winds when at Catalina and other islands.

this is a great book packed with useful information for anyone planning a trip along the Southern California coast. Lots of great pictures and drawings to give you a feeling for the place your planning and what to expect when you arrive. Shipping, delivery, and condition of the book are all excellant.

This is a great guide if you plan on visiting the Channel Islands. As a boater, I will use the information on anchorages and landings to plan my next trips.

I *thought* I knew about the Channel Islands and the different weather systems around Southern California. I've sailed here for a few years, and have gone up into the Channel Islands. Heck, I was married on Catalina.

Starting to read Fagan's book, it became quickly evident that I didn't know anything about this rich area. Fagan breaks down multi micro climates into detailed and descriptive blocks, highlighting which routes will show off what type of weather in different parts of the year. If you already know what the weather will be like in Santa Cruz Channel in October, or when Cuyler Harbor turns into a dangerous lee shore (and what conditions to watch for in advance), then I suppose you don't need this book.

If you're going to be harbor hopping along the mainland, you can probably get by without it. But if you're going to be heading off the grid into the fringes of the no-kidding Pacific, you'd be foolish to read Fagan's book first. Ask anyone who's done a lot of sailing in the Channel Islands, and you'll hear "Fagan's book" pop up in discussion within a few minutes. Charlie's Charts, although useful in other areas (primarily down in Mexico) do not cut the mustard against Fagan.

Highly recommended, and if you only have sailing book related to Southern California this should easily be it.

This book was published in 2002 and should be updated. Contact information is out of date. The book seems more suited to powerboaters than sail. Typical routes suggest passages that are only a couple of miles offshore. Not conservative enough when conditions get bad. I wouldn't rely on this book alone for trip planning, but would use it in combination with updated information and local knowledge.