BOOK REVIEW | West Aegean (Fourth Edition)

Having cruised most of the Aegean and Ionian seas over the years, your reviewer is very familiar with the brilliant ”pilots” and other books produced by the Heikells. There are several of them. They are uniformly accurate, interesting, informative and useful. Effectively, they have become the “Bibles” of Mediterranean voyagers.

Among the few areas your reviewer has not sailed in Greek waters are the Northern Sporades, Western Cyclades and Eastern Peloponnisos. They are all included in this fine volume. Reading it has whetted his appetite very strongly. It is easy to see why the authors declare the West Aegean to be their favourite part of Greece.

The authors are very good on the long and fascinating history of the region. Their word and pictorial descriptions are particularly appetising. Indeed, they also recommend some interesting and appetising harbour-side restaurants. From past experience, their recommendations are reliable.

Their sailing directions, maps and harbour plans are detailed, informative, recent and accurate. They make navigating the area a real pleasure.

If, for whatever reason, commercial or pleasure, you intend sailing through the West Aegean, you cannot afford to do so without this excellent and important book on your chart table.

Author: Rod and Lucinda Heikell

Available from Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK.

Web: www.imray.com