Caribbean Passagemaking - 3rd Edition by Les Weatheritt (Paperback)

About the Book

The chain of islands from the Virgins to the southern Lesser Antilles is one of the most desirable tropical cruising grounds as well as the most accessible for North American and European sailors. The Caribbean Sea is usually benign but the conditions are very different from y...

Book Synopsis

The chain of islands from the Virgins to the southern Lesser Antilles is one of the most desirable tropical cruising grounds as well as the most accessible for North American and European sailors. The Caribbean Sea is usually benign, but the conditions are very different from your home waters--you must learn to sail with the grain of wind, weather, current, and climate, or these forgiving waters will turn into a punishingly rough old sea. Learn to sail in harmony with the winds and currents that surround the Virgins, the Leewards, and the Windwards, and your Caribbean sailing experience will be the good one you deserve.

This updated third edition of Caribbean Passagemaking is an entertaining mine of information for the sun-soaked passage planner as well as the dreamer back home. Here is the full, vital background to help skipper and crew enjoy sailing the Caribbean islands.
Topics include:

• How to achieve easier passagemaking and sail in comfort
• Which are the safe and easy harbors
• How to spot the weather windows
• Prevailing winds and currents
• Ideal equipment for Caribbean waters

Plus a wealth of practical, down-to-earth hints and tips.

Review Quotes

If you're looking for a guide to help you make your cruise through the Caribbean as easy and care-free as possible (and who isn't?), this one is full of great tips. It covers everything from weather and routes to equipment, health, hazards, and even entertainment.

The word 'practical' keeps coming to mind in describing this book. . . . Take a copy with you and I'm sure it will be dog-eared by the time you return.


There's more than sunny beaches to enjoy in the Caribbean. Caribbean Passagemaking: A Cruiser's Guide is a guide to planning a trip through the Caribbean islands when one is in the charge of a ship's path through the islands. For the captain of a small vessel who is planning on taking their friends and family through quite the trip through these tropical isles, with a certain degree of practicality as the focus. With tips on comfort, finding good harbors, watching the weather, and being equipped for anything, Caribbean Passagemaking is a strongly recommended pick that shouldn't be overlooked for any person who enjoys do-it-yourself travel.


This guide to sailing the Caribbean is completely comprehensive . . . the vast amount of information you get for your buck is well ordered and presented with enthusiasm.

About the Author

From novice schooner-hand to transatlantic navigator, Les Weatheritt, a research economist, has sailed and lived among the islands of the Caribbean for a decade, crossing the Atlantic to and from Europe. A self-taught sailor, Les and his partner Gloria keep a sixty-foot narrow boat near Bath, Somerset, as their base in England (when they're not sailing the world). He is also the author of Summer Storms: A Caribbean sailing thriller.