100 magic miles of the Great Barrier Reef : the Whitsunday Islands [Paperback]

David Colfelt (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Windward Publications; 5th edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0958698902
• ISBN-13: 978-0958698900
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,407,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Whitsunday Islands Sailing Bible, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 magic miles of the Great Barrier Reef : the Whitsunday Islands (Paperback)

I've purchased this book in preparation of a sailing vacation around the Whitsunday Islands. A group of small islands which lie next to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's North East Coast.

It has a mileading title. It isn't a book about the Barrier Reef which lies east of the Whitsundays. It's a book about sailing around one of Australia's jewels, the Whitsundays.

This book is provided as standard issue by bareboat charter companies in the area. Over 100 pages are devoted to achorages.

I recommend it, if you are interested in the Whitsundays. A must have, if you plan to sail there.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Edition, June 19, 2001

By 

MR I H MORPHETT (Lane Cove, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 magic miles of the Great Barrier Reef : the Whitsunday Islands (Paperback)

This book is NOT out of print and never has been as far as I know. The 6th edition (now with full colour maps) has only recently been published although I have only "used" the 4-colour 5th edition.

This book is justifiably known as the "bible" for boaters in the Whitsunday area of the Queensland mid-north coast. This book is SO good that it is mandatory equipment on board every charter yacht operating in the Whitsundays! Boaters use this book instead of official charts because it contains so much more information than any ordinary navigation chart.

I spent 10 days on a charter yacht last year in the Whitsundays and found that I could not live without referring to this book AT LEAST every hour.

There are so many islands, reefs, channels, currents, inlets, anchorages, etc. in the Whitsundays that any boater would be mad not to be extremely careful about where and when they go and in what weather conditions. As well, there are so many beautiful places to go that appeal to different people, that advice on choices is always needed.

"100 Magic Miles.." satisfies all these needs and more. It has large scale easy to read maps with excellent advice and descriptions of all significant navigational issues such as wind, tidal effects, reefs, shoals, navigation markers and so on. It provides advice on which anchourages are best in which conditions. It provides information on health and safety issues such as poisonous fish and how to treat coral cuts. It provides aerial photos of all areas so you can actually see what they look like before you get there (or recognise them when you do). It provides information on fishing, including where to fish (and not to) and photos to identify your catch. It provides historical information about the Whitsundays. It provides "travel" advice about all the points on interest, in most cases including photos. It provides information about the ecology of the Great Barrier Reef and the heritage-listed Marine National Park.

This book is so great, I bought my own copy and still pick it up and read it occasionally.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide, Amazon not up to date., January 9, 2010

By 

Emma Reeves "Emma" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 magic miles of the Great Barrier Reef : the Whitsunday Islands (Paperback)

This book is a totally comprehensive guide to the popular Whitsunday area in Queensland, Australia. It includes maps of all the anchorages, snorkel sites, islands and things to do on them (e.g. walks and resorts). Its really aimed at people on boats and not at people exploring by land. I guess these "Landlubbers" would get some value from it too, but it's not as essential for them as it is for those on the water. You can't seem to get the latest version on Amazon.com (I think it's up to at least version 8 now), but it's easy enough to find elsewhere if you do a Google search.