Customer Reviews

The Gentleman's Guide to Passages South, 8th ed.

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

 

 

I had a chance to have a beer and talk to Bruce in January in Luperon, D.R. where Bruce lives with his wife. Bruce is very articulate, intelligent , well read and a wealth of sea knowlege. He is also facing some quite debilitating health issues which has pretty much ended his sea going years. His books are filled with great nuggets on weather windows, island hopping and beating the battle with the wind seas. His experience cannot be challenged. Get the book and read it with a highliter !

Good information on Puerto Rico and Spanish Virgins.A lot of local knowledge info. Complements other guides to have on board for this area by Street and Nancy & Simon Scott,as he states in this publication.

Yes, there is lots of good information, although it is scattered about quite a bit. And what Bruce recommends is maybe the best way to do things and maybe not. There are those who contest his advice. I am not knowledgeable enough or experienced enough to say.

What I will say is that I get real tired of reading over and over and over how incredibly smart and competent and savvy this guy is, and how ignorant and clumsy and stupid everyone else is. After the first ten anecdotes, I get it. You're the guy - you're amazing - your book is selling for $ 800 on Amazon because it's out of print. Well, I got my copy free and I'm glad I didn't pay, because I just can't read it anymore. Too depressing. I guess I'm just worried that I'm not going to be as smart as Bruce ...

There are lots of good books and guides out there, including the excellent Explorer charts. And there are a number of forums free to bop around in on the internet. You'll find them much more uplifting and encouraging than this 'Gentleman's Guide'.

The book begins a little slow, but continue on past the first twenty pages. This book contains a wealth of information for the novice to the most experienced captain. If you are heading south from Florida to any of the islands or South America make sure this book is next to the helm if you wish to arrive safely. For the last thirty or forty years the auther has sailed this route hundreds of times. The sea has been his wife, his mistress, his family, his life. Take heed and learn from his experience. The life you save may well be your own.

Book should be titled "Why I Love the Dominican Republic and Why You Should Spend a Lot of Cruising Time There... and BTW Here's How to Get There." Edit his opinions and D.R. material to something reasonable, and you'd wind up with a good and useful book about 20 pages long.