Channel Havens

by Ken Endean

Published by Adlard Coles Nautical

Price £14.99

ISBN 978-0-7136-7099-8

The sub-title of this Yachting Monthly publication is “Secret Inlets and Secluded Anchorages of the Channel”.

The area covered by the book is more exactly described as the Western Channel since it starts in The Solent, moves westward along the English coast to the Scilly Isles, then from the Contentin peninsular along the French coast to the Chenal du Four, including the Channel Islands.

Of the 165 pages, 30 are concerned with aspects of seamanship particular to anchoring and anchorages, and the close inshore pilotage required for wending one’s way among rocks and sandbanks. This information is interspersed in short chapters which separate the various sections of the coast.

The format is not that of a pilot book but is in a more narrative form. Each chapter starts with a useful chartlet covering the appropriate area, followed by a description of the various anchorages. A few of the more difficult anchorages have additional, more detailed, chartlets. An essential addition to using this book, is an up-to-date, large-scale chart of the area chosen. What is particularly useful about this book, is to know that an identifiable spot is a possible anchorage, and, under what conditions, since even a large scale chart cannot always give you that information.

If you are the type of sailor who prefers quiet anchorages and self-sufficiency, then this book would be a most welcome addition to the navigation shelf. Having followed Ken Endean’s instructions myself, into the heart of the rocks off the north Brittany coast, I would be confident in their accuracy, but of course, the prudent sailor will always trust his own judgement of the situation.

Val Ellis, Noonsite