Pilot recommendations for the Ionian and Greece & Charts too

[Ravi]

Hi all.

I wonder if I can tap your brains for recommendations for the best pilot.

On the chart front, I am pretty resigned to buying all the Imray charts since I discovered that UKHO have stopped producing their excellent value SC577x Greek folios. More importantly, they no longer issue corrections for these charts so I can't even use my old charts. Grrrr.)

Anyway, on the subject of pilots ....
There seem to be three choices for detail on the Ionian.
(1) Rod Heikell's Ionian pilot from Imray - 2011 Edition - £18

(2) North Ionian eAlmanac - ebook, downloadable from http://ioniansailingpilot.com/ - Last update on their blog is Dec 2012 - £10

(3) The Eagle Ray Greece, Sea Guide III by Nicholas Elias. - 2009 edition - Euros 90!!! But sounds like it includes ?all? the charts for the area


I have always relied on my old copy of Rod Hiekell's pilots (Ionian version and the hardback Greek Waters one) and have enjoyed his style. I have found everything that I need in them but that has been on charters and flotillas where I have revisited the same old haunts and only explored a few new areas each year. This year, I will have 6 months to do a lot more exploring and I wondered if any of the others are better for 'off piste' stuff. My editions are very dated so I plan to treat myself to some new books.

I know absolutely nothing about the other pilots other than some good reviews for Elias' pilot on older threads on this forum. With the charts included (and a larger area of coverage) they seem reasonable value if the content is still relevant and as good as the reviews of a few years ago say.

I will be cruising further afield (within Greece) when the Ionian gets busy in the high summer but for the immediate future, I will be in the ionian. The pilot books will be my sole companions for much of the summer so which one/s would you suggest that I take along for company?

Thanks.

 

[nigelmercier]

(1) Rod Heikell's Ionian pilot from Imray - 2011 Edition - £18

Marginally cheaper, and with free delivery on Amazon: http://amzn.to/OAepBV

 

[grafozz]

Captain Elias has written in great detail ,in his book from Eagle Ray , many interesting local facts and folklore.
I use it all the time , yes expensive, but very comprehensive .
a good read as well as a good pilot .

 

[keithgdg]

Rod Heikell every time for me.

 

[nickf]

If you need charts as well I would go for Captain Elias. Whilst I do like Heikel, Elias covers a greater number of anchorages.

 

[Carmel2]

Captain Elias has written in great detail ,in his book from Eagle Ray , many interesting local facts and folklore.
I use it all the time , yes expensive, but very comprehensive .
a good read as well as a good pilot .

If you need charts as well I would go for Captain Elias. Whilst I do like Heikel, Elias covers a greater number of anchorages.

+1

 

[truscott]

Heikel's pilots are great for the history of a place, but the Elias pilot is great for chartlets, and pilotage.

Detail in the Eagle Ray seems to be quite current as far as the Dodecanese goes.

Why scrimp? Get both.

PT

 

[Bertramdriver]

Heikel's pilots are great for the history of a place, but the Elias pilot is great


PT

Get the Eagle Ray chart book. I have one for the Aegean and since buying it the god Heikell has been collecting dust.

 

[Mad Pad]

Eagle Ray every time

 

[BurnitBlue]

Captain Elias has written in great detail ,in his book from Eagle Ray , many interesting local facts and folklore.
I use it all the time , yes expensive, but very comprehensive .
a good read as well as a good pilot .

If it wasn't for the New Greek Tax you could afford ten of them

 

[Glyka]

Elias every time. Don't lose (borrow) it!!!

 

[jaba]

Heikell!

(the fewer use the Elias the better it is for me... more good anchorages left to chose from) ;-) ;-)

Seriously, I am a fan of Eagle Ray.

 

[vyv_cox]

I suggest you look at Cruisers wiki http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/World_Cruising_and_Sailing_Wiki Many anchorages not included in Heikell are described, there is a good deal of general cruising information and it's free.

 

[KellysEye]

>Rod Heikell every time for me.

Agree.

 

[Ravi]

Why scrimp? Get both.
PT

You sound like my local chandler! Yes, I probably will, in the end!
After all the recommendations of recommendations for Ellias' pilot, I will definitely be getting it, to start off with - especially as my charts and the ones on my new boat are rather dated.
I may renew my old Heikell editions along the way.

Thanks also, for the tip about the sailing Wiki. I will have fun exploring that. I am also going to join the cruising Association which, I understand, has good resources for members. I love the ideas of people freely sharing information through Wikis. It is the future.

Thanks for all the tips. I'm looking forward to meeting Capt. Ellias.

 

[nimbusgb]

Elias another +1

 

[vyv_cox]

I am also going to join the cruising Association which, I understand, has good resources for members.

The CAptain's Mate app free to members from the CA is building up nicely. It has been built to be very easy for users to add current information, which is what it has been aimed at. It isn't intended to be a pilot, there are others that do that, more for where people find a good supplier or recent changes to ports and marinas. We find it very useful. The pilot amendments are also very handy as they are current, based on members' contributions each year..

 

[alexsailor]

Does http://www.eagleray.gr/index.php/products/greece-sea-guide/vol-ii-ionian-sea-peloponnisos-except-e-coast-detail include charts?
Kythera is also in this book?

 

[nickf]

Yes and yes

 

[vyv_cox]

This year I bought the Captain Elias pilot for the Dodecanese and have been using it over the past few weeks. I find it very comprehensive and mostly accurate, although the latest version is several years old. However, I find him to be amazingly optimistic in his assessment of anchorages. We looked at one on the west side of Patmos that is supposedly flat even in a southwesterly swell. At the time there was one but only about half a metre or less. It was so swell-bound that we didn't even bother dropping the anchor. We tried another in the same bay, confusingly described as having good holding in some wind directions but not in others. Sorry, that's not how I think of holding. We tried three times before the anchor held in weed and shallow sand and only stayed for lunch.

We are now in the south of Kalymnos. Here he tells us that if the anchor catches on a clump of weed we will be OK! In fact the bottom is beautiful sand and the holding is excellent. Heikell says it is all rock, so no more helpful.