Capt. Cheryl Barr’s Complete Cruising Guide to the Down East Circle Route

After a difficult, wind-against-tide cruise down the St. Lawrence River in 2001 without any guidebooks, Capt. Cheryl Barr decided to create a practical cruising resource for others. The result is A Complete Cruising Guide to the Down East Circle Route, a detailed handbook that follows a 2,400-mile clockwise voyage from New York City to the Great Lakes, down the St. Lawrence River, through the Canadian Maritimes, and then south along the New England coast. The guide is written to help both seasoned and newer cruisers navigate this varied and sometimes challenging circuit.

Barr describes the Down East Circle as suitable for “both experienced and entry-level cruisers.” She emphasizes that any seaworthy yacht outfitted for Intracoastal Waterway cruising can undertake the route. At 47, the Canadian captain brings solid credentials, including a Yachtmaster certificate from the Royal Yacht Sailing Academy on the Isle of Wight, England, and many seasons of hands-on experience in the waters she writes about.

Her practical approach grew out of personal need. After research cruises aboard Road to the Isles, a 62-foot steel Herreshoff schooner she and her father rebuilt, and Marita, a 50-foot custom Jack Gilbert-designed power yacht, she began compiling navigation details and local knowledge gathered along the way. “When I made my first Down East Circle cruise, no one knew anything about that route,” Barr says, which motivated her to collect and share the information she wished she had on that first trip.

The cruising guide combines essential navigation data with regional context to make planning and on-the-water decision-making easier. It includes harbor descriptions, navigation notes, charts, and tables for tides and currents, plus short, informative articles about local wildlife, historical sites and geology. Barr set out to make what can be a dry reference into something livelier and more useful to cruisers, adding narratives and observations to enliven the technical material.

Responding to feedback from readers and fellow mariners, Barr published a second edition with expanded waypoint listings, improved harbor and navigation details, and clearer tide and current tables. Many of these enhancements came from cruisers who completed the circuit and shared suggestions, making the guide more robust and user-friendly over time.

Early sales were grassroots: Barr sold copies from the trunk of her car and at boat shows such as PassageMaker magazine’s Trawler Fest. Over the years, word of mouth, seminars, blogs and magazine features increased awareness of her work. Today, most purchases come through her Yacht Pilot Publishing outlet, driven by endorsements from cruisers who relied on her guide during their voyages. One couple, Bill and Judy Rohde of Bayfield, Wis., wrote in their weblog that they “continue to make heavy use of our ‘bible,’ Capt. Cheryl Barr’s outstanding book, ‘Down East Circle Route.’ Don’t even consider making this trip without it on board.”

To serve those interested in exploring additional cruising areas, Barr expanded her research beyond the Circle. In 2006 she published A Cruising Guide to the Canadian Maritimes, which adds detail for the Bras d’Or Lake and Newfoundland waters. She also began work on a multi-volume series for Cuban waters; the first title, Cruising Guide to Cuba, Volume 1 — Varadero to Cienfuegos, focuses on the western and central coastal areas and reflects Barr’s extensive winter cruising experience in Cuba.

Barr’s maritime passion began at age seven, when her family rebuilt a wooden Newfoundland-style schooner in Nova Scotia and spent several years cruising the Caribbean. That early life afloat formed the foundation of a lifetime of voyaging: she has sailed in the United Kingdom, Australia, the Caribbean and Canadian waters, and spent extended periods exploring the South Pacific, Australia and Southeast Asia as a traveler. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Dalhousie University in Halifax, a background that broadens her interest in the region’s wildlife and natural history.

When not writing or cruising, Barr works in the summers at a British Columbia resort guiding kayaking and hiking trips and camping in a tent — a deliberate change of pace from life at sea. “It’s a nice change from sailing and writing about the most beautiful waters in the world,” she says, reflecting satisfaction with the path she has chosen and the practical, user-focused publications she produces for the cruising community.

See related article: The Circle of Life (originally published by Soundings Online)

This article originally appeared in the April 2012 issue.