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If it's in Casco Bay, guide's got it covered
By Tux Turkel, staff writer
Portland Press Herald, Sunday, May 14, 2000, p. 10E
We are awaiting permisson to post this review.
Points East, August 2000
By Priscilla Wheatley
The Maine coast, with its 3,000 islands and 6,000 miles of shoreline,
arguably offers the best cruising grounds on this side of the
Atlantic, cold water notwithstanding. There are so many nooks
and crannies to explore in anything from a kayak to a dinghy to
a cruising yacht that it takes years to see them all.
Unfortunately, the choice of cruising guides is small, dictated
no doubt by the relatively small market that Maine cruisers represent.
Given our notorious fog, huge tides, unforgiving ledges and thick
carpet of pot buoys, too many cruisers are scared away from exploring
the great beauty of Maine's rocky coastline and its way of life.
Two recent additions to the small selection of cruising guides
offer very different perspectives on experiencing the Maine coast
from the water. One will get you from New Hampshire to Canada
in short order. Unfortunately it ignores most of what is truly
wonderful about cruising Maine. The other looks at Casco Bay in
exquisite detail, and is a worthwhile companion for anyone planning
to spend any time in the Bay.
Curtis Rindlaub's "Maine Coast Guide for Small Boats: Casco Bay"
picks up where "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast" left off.
Widely considered to be the bible of Maine cruising, the Cruising
Guide's first two editions were the work of Hank and Jan Taft,
who favored us with a truly comprehensive guide to the coast from
the New Hampshire border to Eastport - virtually their life's
work. Following Hank's untimely death, Rindlaub produced the third
edition, updating it and adding hundreds of gunkholes, sketch
maps, and a section on cruising New Brunswick.
"Casco Bay" is intended especially for smallboaters, such as kayakers,
trailer-boaters, and casual
cruisers who don't intend to venture outside Casco Bay. Unlike
its larger sister that moves sequentially up the coast, the Casco
Bay guide fans out from Portland, assuming that most people will
start in that general vicinity. It includes virtually every dent
on every island, from the most miniscule cove to the largest harbors
and marine facilities, gathered into small regions.
Overview maps and detail charts are provided, as well as icons
for more than a dozen points of interest from launch ramps to
fishing spots, pumpout stations to the usual eateries and showers.
There is also extensive information on small boating in general,
such as navigation, weather, and safety, as well as etiquette
regarding private property. Those who enjoy learning about the
history and traditions of their destinations will enjoy extensive
discussions that belie the substantial research that must have
gone into producing this volume.
Each major section is introduced, and individual destinations are numbered to reference the section maps. Individual locations are consistently formatted with an introduction followed by land and sea directions on how to get there and a description of things to do ashore. More than 100 small chart segments augment the text. There is so much information crammed into this easily carried paperback that the armchair sailor can enjoy Casco Bay as much as those who explore its environs, which range from Cape Elizabeth to Cape Small. Rindlaub plans eventually to publish seven volumes of the thin-water guides, mirroring the regions in the "Cruising Guide."
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