Landfalls of Paradise: Cruising Guide to the Pacific Islands [Paperback]

Considing the relatively small market for a book like this, it's not surprising there's virtually nothing comparable in print. And Earl's territory is vast - all of the Pacific islands from Hawaii to New Zealand and north into Micronesia. The numerous maps should prove useful for orientation and could save you a bundle on official charts (although the author and publisher disclaim any responsibility for errors). There's lots of useful 'passage planning', yacht entry, weather, and public holiday information here, but the country intros could be shortened and the yacht facility sections beefed up. The oversized B&W photos throughout the book occupy space that could be better utilized. An appendix provides four pages outlining the use of amateur mobil radios, but no mention of communicating over the internet is to be found herein. At times, the coverage is skeletal and uneven. For example, on Tahiti only Papeete is visited. Moorea isn't included (!) and the popular Leeward Islands merit only a few lines. In contrast the seldom-visited Austral and Gambier islands receive four pages of maps and texts. In Fiji, Earl only descibes facilities in the main ports of entry: Suva, Lautoka, Levuka, and Savusavu. Really out of the way anchorages are seldom discussed. All that said, these criticisms are mute as there simply isn't another South Pacific cruising guide to choose from. It's a credit to Earl Hinz that he has kept this book going through four editions, and hopefully the electronic revolution will allow him to rejuvenate his book. Meanwhile Landfalls of Paradise is a basic reference work every Pacific sailor will want to carry aboard.