Martinique to Trinidad : including Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados, Northern Grenadines, Southern Grenadines, Grenada, and Trinidad & Tobago

Rating:
Summary: A true sailor's guide, not for the tourist
Review: The shoreside details may be outdated, but the craft of cruising these islands is timelessly preserved. Not many people cruise today without an engine, and only without an engine can you develop the kind of insights Mr. Street shares. If you don't appreciate his opinionated views on the island communities, you can't deny that he is a master sailor. The countless ranges he has documented guide one safely through the islands without fear of one's GPS receiver having a bad day. His challenge to find an anchorage where you can lie with 6' foot draft that he has not documented is in the finest tradition of sailing bluster. I doubt anyone will find one that Mr. Street has not sailed into. Wherever you may go in the Windward Islands, picture doing it all without an engine, and you will begin to appreciate the craft documented in this book.

Rating:
Summary: A true sailor's guide, not for the tourist
Review: This book is well organized and written, but I was never sure how up-to-date the information was. The book was first written back in the 1960's and was last published in 2001. The author does not ease my concerns because in several places in the book he says this is the way it was in the early 1970's, or I went back in 1984 to update this information. It reminds me of listening to my father reminisce about the good old days-pleasent stories, but not always relevant to the way things are today. Also, there are few pictures contained in the book and none of them are in color. This adds to the feel that the book was written in the 1960's and it certainly does not create excitement or motivate anyone to go to the Windward Islands. In summary, the positives are: detailed information on navigation, sailing routes, areas with tricky currents, waves, etc. The negatives: limited and/or outdated information on navigation hazards, buoy locations, places to get provisions, restaurants, hotels, shops etc. This is a pricey book and I would expect it not to be outdated and dull. It appears that the book is slipping from a cruising guide to an autobiography by Mr. Street. I would skip this one.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat informative, but disappointing
Review: This book is well organized and written, but I was never sure how up-to-date the information was. The book was first written back in the 1960's and was last published in 2001. The author does not ease my concerns because in several places in the book he says this is the way it was in the early 1970's, or I went back in 1984 to update this information. It reminds me of listening to my father reminisce about the good old days-pleasent stories, but not always relevant to the way things are today. Also, there are few pictures contained in the book and none of them are in color. This adds to the feel that the book was written in the 1960's and it certainly does not create excitement or motivate anyone to go to the Windward Islands. In summary, the positives are: detailed information on navigation, sailing routes, areas with tricky currents, waves, etc. The negatives: limited and/or outdated information on navigation hazards, buoy locations, places to get provisions, restaurants, hotels, shops etc. This is a pricey book and I would expect it not to be outdated and dull. It appears that the book is slipping from a cruising guide to an autobiography by Mr. Street. I would skip this one.