The Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation publishes pilotage information through books and a range of media acessible through its own website www.rccpf.org.uk.
Reviews of the most recent RCCPF Publications and other books written by RCC members are shown below.
Mark Fishwick compiled his first West Country Cruising in 1988, and the publication of a Tenth Edition by Fernhurst Books is a testament to its continuing popularity.
Cruising Guide to the Netherlands and Belgium is a new first edition from the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation.
Skip Novak on Sailing: Words of Wisdom from 50 Years Afloat is a fascinating collection of articles contributed to Yachting World between 2014 and 2023.
A Cruising Adventure and How-To Guide by Nicholas Coghlan
Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation Balearic Islands 12th Edition, David and Susie Baggaley
Andrew Wilkes reviews Marek Jurczynski's publication
Skipper Lynam developed his love of the sea and sailing as a schoolboy at King William’s College on the Isle of Man becoming, in time, a successful canoe sailor.
Review of Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation publication ‘Norway, Mainland coast, fjord and islands, including Svalbard and Jan Mayen’ 4th Edition
Bermuda, Azores, Madeira Group, Canary Islands and Cape Verdes:
Editor: Jane Russell, RCC, RCCPF Publisher: Royal Institution of Navigation, 2020. Available as a free download
Nigel Wollen reviews Mark Fishwick's West Country Cruising Companion
An excellent pilot by Madeleine and Stephan Strobel updated May 2020.
4th Edition. By Rod and Lucinda Heikell. A Review of this welcome update by Will Pedder
This practical guide deserves a place of honour on the chart table of any sailing yacht venturing to the Chilean channels or, as Bill Tillman referred to them, ‘the magical place of the unknown’.
"The book is a triumph, and represents a significant raising of the bar. Jo is to be congratulated, and I do hope readers will be enthused sufficiently to cruise the South China Sea."
This book is a very practical guide to long distance ocean sailing, compiled by a very accomplished and experienced practitioner and aimed at the would-be ocean sailor.
This meticulously updated 8th edition invites the cruising sailor to safely explore numerous exquisite locations, reassured by the author's wealth of experience.
Our review of September 2019 updated to include CCA review as a download. This book is not a “how to do it” manual, more a compendium of the most important issues.....
"I commend Christopher and the RCCPF team on producing an excellent book that will be an invaluable resource to anyone making this trip (Trinidad to Tobago) for the first time"
Reviewed by Peter Bruce who says: "This Second Edition is thoroughly comprehensive and gives those with it a huge advantage over those without."
Reviewer Jay Devonshire writes: "An up to date Pilot Book is an essential, and this latest publication is to to be recommended."
For many a sailor, crossing the Atlantic Ocean is their holy grail, the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest for a climber. Both are immense challenges and preparation is key.
The RCC Pilotage Foundation has recently brought out a fourth edition, published by Imray, of their extensive guide to The Baltic Sea and its Approaches.
‘Gibraltar and the five Mediterranean costas of Spain form the subject matter of this pilot.’
Paul Heiney's lavishly illustrated book warrants a well-deserved place in the chart table and has plenty of general interest for those seeking inspiration for their next cruise.
This is a beautifully produced and extremely well structured guide to this very long and diverse cruising ground. Reviewed by Katharine Ingram
The Canary Islands Guide is very much a guide for tourists rather than a pilot book, but as such it has the information for a touring yachtsman to enjoy these islands.
For such a small country The Netherlands has an amazing 6,000km of navigable waterways and there is something there for everyone.
The revised edition of the Arctic and Northern Waters Pilot is a compelling volume that takes the reader into waters that few will travel, for those who go there it is essential reading.
Reviewers Katharine & Peter Ingram write: "This RCC Pilotage Foundation book is a beautifully produced and extremely well structured guide to the vast cruising area that is the Pacific Ocean."
The 3rd Edition of this very useable cruising companion is brought right up to date (2016) by Derek Aslett. Published by Fernhurst Books and available through Imray and many local chandleries.
The newly published third edition of the RCC Pilotage Foundation Norway pilot book by Judy Lomax is reviewed below by Madeleine Strobel
A Sixth Edition of the RCCPF Atlantic Islands Pilot has just been published by Imray. It is reviewed by Alan Spriggs (RCC) below.
This is the 7th edition of this well-known and popular book. There is much that is new in this edition, all beautifully explored and explained.
Set in the ice bound vagaries of the Wendell Sea, Mensun Bound takes us on a rip-roaring adventure of discovery to find and document Shackleton’s ship, Endurance.
With Endurance Lost to the ice 100 years ago, Shackleton went on to lead his team back to safety in a well told story of endeavour.
Facing the same physical conditions, Mensun draws from the private diaries of Shackleton’s team to shine a light on the difficulties, personal interactions and emotions of 100 years ago in parallel with his own quest of discovery.
Interpreting these diaries, Mensun paints a picture of the expected location and condition of the wreck and embarks with an international team to find Endurance. Thwarted by weather and equipment failure their first attempt fails. With continued significant support they set off 3 years later for a second push deep into the ice of the Wendell Sea.
In an easy-to-read format with gripping narrative the author puts the reader on the bridge of the Agulhas drawing comparison with the Shackleton’s diaries and the sense of challenge they all face. While 100 years of technology separate the two journeys, the common thread of human drive, interaction and stoicism bind the two together in a fascinating and compelling story.
To find the wreck, someone has to detail the search area and that pinnacle of responsibility falls to the author. Supported by an unknown sponsor, the multi million-pound project and international team rely on Mensun’s decades of exploration experience and historical interpretation to know where to look. Although Shackleton’s navigator Worsley has specified coordinates of a last known position the diaries cast doubt on its accuracy.
Mensun takes the reader back in time to understand how the team calibrated their chronometers, how they averaged the horizon in the ice scape and the expected movement of the ice before Endurance sank. This gives the reader an understanding of the many variables creating uncertainty around the exact location of the wreck. As time and resources ebb away the reader stands with the author as doubt creeps in and calculations are rechecked. In a setting of vast natural beauty and abundant wildlife those feelings of anticipation, disappointment and anxiety are felt by the reader and reflected in both Shackleton’s and Mensun’s journey.
In the final moments Endurance is found and the reader rides the elation of the team, sensing the deep satisfaction of the author and perhaps crowning of a life’s work.
Not a book I would naturally pick up, “The Ship Beneath the Ice” is an epic story of adventure, perseverance and discovery, brought alive through the pen of someone who has read enough history to know how to captivate the reader.
It is a thoroughly enjoyable and compelling read. A copy has been placed in the RCC library.
Published by Macmillan ISBN 978-1-0350-0841-4
Review by Jason Lawrence Oct 2025
