I’ve checked out every Puget Sound/San Juan Islands cruising book I could find at the Seattle Public Library. Here is my summary:

A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, second edition, by Migael Scherer, published by McGraw Hill/International Marine, 2005; $39.95. I like this one a lot. Sturdy, well organized, folds flat on any page, lots of good information, very professional presentation. But what really makes this book shine is that the author’s voice comes through. Not only is the book a thorough and authoritative reference, but it has a bit of personality, as well. It’s not cutesy or in-your-face or distracting; I just mean that you can sense the individual human personality behind the words on the page, and this gives the book a genuineness that makes it very pleasant to read. Perhaps another way of saying this would be: If I were to write a cruising guide, my goal would be to produce something like this. After conducting this review, this is the book I went out and bought.

Gunkholing in the San Juan Islands, 2004 edition, by Jo Bailey and Carl Nyberg, published by San Juan Enterprises, Inc.; $24.95. Indispensible. This book is not quite as handy a reference book as the previous title, both because it doesn’t fold flat, and because the writing and presentation has even more “personality”; so much personality that it sometimes gets in the way of finding the information you need in a hurry. However, there is a LOT of information here: more detail, history, and anecdotes than any of the others. With this book, you sit down while your boat is moored, you read the passage about your intended cruising area, you stick some post-it notes in there for quick reference at the helm, and then you get underway. I love this book, and I’ve used it (the older, smaller edition) while cruising; it’s a must if you intend to explore beyond the standard high-profile destinations. I probably won’t go out and buy the new version right away, because I already have an older copy. But the new version does have a great deal of updated information, and covers a lot more ground, extending its scope across Rosario Strait to discuss Lummi, Cypress, and Guemes Islands; the Swinomish Channel and Deception Pass; and the upper reach of Skagit Bay.

The San Juan Islands, by Anne & Laurence Yeadon-Jones, published by Fine Edge, 2005; $39.95. Wow, this one is tough to rate. On the one hand, it has absolutely the most beautiful illustrations; hand-drawn maps that combine relevant navigational information with friendly, organic drawings providing a sense of what it’s really like there. I really loved these maps, and at first glance, I figured this was the book I would buy for myself. But the book is a very limited in scope; the destinations it does cover are well presented, but it just doesn’t cover very many destinations. It feel like it was meant to be kept at home as a tool to help people discuss the San Juans, dream about the San Juans, and share the San Juans with children or non-boating friends and family. Also, the binding on my library copy came apart while I had it out, so I had to explain all those loose pages to the understanding librarian. Overall, it just isn’t as sturdy as you would want on the boat, and it doesn’t cover places you might want to go after you’ve visited the top twenty destinations. Still, I might buy a copy for myself, to keep at home, just because it’s such a joy to browse through.

Exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands: Cruising Paradise of the Pacific Northwest, second edition, by Don Douglass & Reanne Hemingway-Douglass, published by Fine Edge, 2003; $30. This book just leaves me cold. I’m not sure why. It’s extremely comprehensive, it has a lot of information about virtually every destination, surpassed only by the incredible detail in Gunkholing. It has maps, photographs, marina diagrams, and telephone numbers for shoreside facilities of interest to boaters. What’s not to like? I really can’t say. The marina diagrams are a little too “MacPaint”, if you know what I mean. The book won’t fold flat and stay open to the page you’re using. But really, I guess it’s just the tone of the text; a little too cold and encyclopedic for my taste, which always leaves me feeling like the author is trying to convince you they don’t exist. I may be alone in this, but even with reference work, I want to get a sense that I’m reading the words of an actual person; I want the author’s personality to show through a little, from time to time. I might buy this one if I had an experience where the Scherer title failed me and this one would have served my needs.

And that was every title I could find at the library…or was it?

…But Hold On!

I’ve neglected one of the most popular titles!
Waggoner Cruising Guide, by Robert Hale, published by Weatherly Press, 2007; $19.95. This book has many loyal followers, and it was an oversight that I didn’t include it when I gathered the other titles together in front of me. In the interest of science, I’m going to get a copy from the library and give it a thorough going-over. I’ll report my findings here. One thing I did figure out, right off the bat: Even if you never buy a copy of this book, you might find the website valuable: http://www.waggonerguide.com/. Stay tuned!