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SECRET COAST IS HERE! ORDER NOW!
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Forgive the sighs of relief, but after two years of writing, editing, revising, improving, producing and proofing, followed by a nearly three-month turnaround at the printer, Jennifer and James Hamilton’s extraordinary Cruising the Secret Coast cruising guide is here.
The complete title of the book is “Waggoner Cruising Guide’s Cruising the Secret Coast—Unexplored Anchorages on British Columbia’s Inside Passage.” That’s what the book is about—seldom visited (and often unvisited) fascinating destinations on the B.C.coast. The destinations range from Esquimalt Harbour, just west of Victoria, to St. John Harbour the edge of Milbanke Sound on the central B.C. coast, nearly 100 miles north of Vancouver Island. With a few exceptions, all the destinations are a long way from the city.
Jennifer Hamilton’s writing is tight and easy to follow, and the photos (253 in all, most of them by James Hamilton) are exceptional. The book describes the destinations and tells how to get in and where to anchor. The book’s 63 maps are filled with icons that explain where to anchor, hike, and take the dinghy or kayak. The maps were created especially for this book by our graphic artist Marni Erwin, and they make exploration understandable—challenging in many cases, but understandable.
 Secret Coast, as I’m sure the book will be called, is about more than navigation. Jennifer and James Hamilton are students of the history of the coast, especially the logging and fishing history. They outline hikes to take and treasures to find, such as an early 20th century steam donkey left behind in the woods, abandoned 1920s logging trucks, and the ruins of once-thriving canneries.
The book begins with chapters describing the Hamiltons’ approach to remote destination boating, with solid information about food, water conservation, spares to carry, auxiliary power, even how to do laundry on board. Then comes a chapter packed with general tips and techniques: clothes to wear, safety equipment, inflatable kayaks, bear precautions, insect repellant. Then an extensive chapter on anchoring, and why their anchors don’t drag.
 Finally, the cruising: Esquimalt Harbour, just west of Victoria; Sechelt Inlet, overlooked by boats on their way to Princess Louisa Inlet; Actaeon Sound, off Drury Inlet at the north end of the Broughtons; little-known Fort Rupert and Suquash near Port Hardy at the north end of Vancouver Island; Seymour and Belize Inlets, behind notorious Nakwakto Rapids.
These destinations could contain a lifetime of cruising, and they’re still south of Cape Caution. North of Cape Caution, the boats are fewer and the destinations are wilder: Smith and Boswell inlets, at the back of Smith Sound; the head of Rivers Inlet; Draney Inlet, branching off Rivers Inlet; the Hakai area, including the remarkable Goose Group; and the maze of channels, inlets, coves and tidal lagoons bordering Queen Charlotte Sound between Hakai Passage and Seaforth Channel.
 I appreciate that these place names will just be words to those who haven’t already cruised the Inside Passage. But for those who have traveled north, they are an invitation to get off the “highway” and explore the places they know exist but haven’t seen. Cruising the Secret Coast shows the way.
As the publisher and editor of the project I know I am biased, but I think Secret Coast has raised the bar for cruising guides. It will be an instant classic. It’s magnificent.
The book is available at selected bookstores and most marine supply stores in the Northwest. The cost is $44.95 U.S. plus Washington State sales tax, if applicable, and $3.00 mailing (mailing cost higher outside the U.S.).
-- Bob Hale
P.S. For a closer look at the Hamiltons’ explorations and experiences, see their web site www.mvdirona.com.
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CRUISING THE SECRET COAST - ORDER YOURS NOW
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To order any title from Weatherly Press offline, including the Waggoner Cruising Guide, call us at (800) 733-5330. We accept Visa and Mastercard. (Washington state residents, add 9.0% sales tax.)
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