Cruising guides for the new year
The 2012 editions of Dozier’s Waterway Guides—covering the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Southern coast, and the Bahamas—offer thorough, mile-by-mile coverage for cruisers navigating from New Jersey to Texas, and extending into the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. These guides are designed for boaters who want reliable, up-to-date information to plan safe and enjoyable passages along the U.S. East Coast and in nearby island waters.
Revised annually to reflect the latest conditions and local changes, Dozier’s Waterway Guides combine navigational updates with practical on-the-water detail. Each edition highlights almost 1,500 marinas and boatyards, offering cruisers a comprehensive directory of overnighting and service options. In addition to listing facilities, the guides provide descriptive coverage of popular coastal towns and island stops, helping mariners choose destinations that match their interests—whether they seek quiet anchorages, full-service marinas, provisioning and maintenance, or lively waterfront towns.
Beyond simple listings, these cruising guides are useful route-planning tools. Mile-by-mile descriptions allow captains and crew to follow a clear progression of landmarks, navigation aids, and channel conditions. The text emphasizes key waypoints and decision points so boaters can make informed choices while underway. Regular updates reduce the uncertainty that comes with changing shorelines, marina availability, and transient services, making the guides a valuable complement to charts and electronic navigation aids.
Each regional edition focuses on the unique challenges and attractions of its area. The Chesapeake Bay volume, for instance, includes a new section on National Harbor, an increasingly popular stop for cruisers visiting the Washington, D.C. region. That addition reflects the guide’s attention to evolving cruising patterns and destination development. Meanwhile, the Bahamas edition has been reorganized to simplify travel through the island chain, presenting the island groups and passages in a way that better matches how many mariners plan Bahamas cruises.
Practical details included in the guides make them useful both before departure and during a cruise. Information about fueling, repairs, dockage, and haul-out facilities helps skippers evaluate options for routine stops and unexpected needs. Descriptions of town services and amenities also assist in choosing destinations for provisioning, dining, and sightseeing. Because the books are revised each year, many transient facilities and recent changes are noted so cruisers can rely on current information when planning their next leg.
Dozier’s Waterway Guides are sold at a suggested retail price of $39.95. They can be purchased directly from the publisher’s website—listed here as www.waterwayguide.com—or found at marine stores and booksellers along the Atlantic coast. For boaters who prefer a printed reference to carry aboard, the guides remain a popular, portable resource that complements electronic tools with clear, narrative descriptions of routes and ports.
Whether you are preparing for an extended cruise or planning weekend hops between marinas and anchorages, these updated editions offer detailed, region-specific guidance to support safer and more enjoyable passages. Their mile-by-mile structure, combined with directory-style listings and local descriptions, makes them a practical addition to the cruising library of owners, captains, and charter operators who frequent the East Coast and nearby island destinations.
This article originally appeared in the March 2012 issue.