The SmarterCharter CATAMARAN Guide: Caribbean: Insiders' tips for confident BAREBOAT cruising

Purchased this book while preparing for a bareboat charter in the BVI. Possibly the best purchase I made. I have 30+ years experience on monohulls and zero on cruising catamarans. This book not only went into great depth on the nuances and differences between mono’s and cat’s, but also provided outstanding tips for preparing for a bareboat charter in general.I read this book three times cover to cover, and marked certain sections for quick reference while on the trip. Outstanding purchase, and made me much more comfortable stepping aboard a cruising cat for the first time.

This book is much more practical and hands-on than many other sailing books. For example, the MOB technique is much more suited to people who don't sail every day and considers the varying levels of experience and difficult conditions likely to be encountered on a trip. It's a great primer for people new to sailing a catamaran as it details the differences between a mono hull and a catamaran. The book is definitely worth reading as you can avoid learning many things the hard way (like raising the main on the opposite side of the halyard block). I highly recommend this to anyone chartering or buying a catamaran.

After sailing virtually all of my life, I was wondering what more I could learn from this book. Now, with an upcoming charter of non-sailors, I was reminded of the essentials for safe sailing. As a result, I have taken notes, and am preparing a written list of items to cover. I knew everything mention, but needed to be reminded, in an organized fashion, that everyone needs to have the same knowledge. We are all going to be in the same boat, so to speak.

Very helpful for planning catamaran or monohull charters in the Caribbean! While the book title says “Catamaran” guide, 85% of the information in the book is equally relevant to monohull charters. Just completed my 4th Caribbean charter (two monohulls and two catamarans) and I still learned a lot from this book. Thank you.

A must read for any adult going on a catamaran. This is an excellent primer for those with little to no sailing experience and a great refresher for sailors who haven’t been out for a few months or will be taking novices with them. Easy to read with clear explanations. It covers all the basics.

Coincidence of coincidences....I was just finishing up reading this book when we arrived for our first day of cat charter in the BVI's. I had requested a checkout captain to "show us the ropes" on a catamaran as all our sailing experience was on monohulls. As it turned out the author of this book, Michael Dominican was our checkout captain! Michael noticed the book laying on our salon table and it was a pretty funny coincidence. For us, this book was perfect in terms of bringing you up to speed on the theory of pretty much all you need to know to get going and stay safe out there. Cat sailing IS a bit different and you can shorten the learning curve by preloading your brain with all the info, tips and clearly explained techniques in this book.... I HIGHLY recommend this approach and follow-up by getting a check-ride captain for a few hours or a day like we did. The first day of a charter is stressful enough, this pretty much took the stress out of it! I'll be hanging onto my autographed copy too!

Absolutely wonderful book. I've visited close to half of the islands of the Caribbean ... as a landlubber, never as a sailor. It is like night and day. As a novice catamaran sailor, the information was invaluable. Great insight about customs, questions to ask the charter company rep about your boot, and a zillion other tidbits of information. I have two vacations already scheduled for the upcoming winter and will read this book again. It is so easy to recommend something this great.

I went to find the section on anchoring, and took me forever to find it because there are no page numbers!

This book is aimed at anyone who is planning to charter a catamaran. A good reminder for the experienced yachtsman, especially if they are new to a catamaran. It is also very helpful for those people who are thinking of buying a catamaran.

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