Hi John,

The Waterway Guides probably offer the best overall coverage for the coast, but they've gotten pretty pricey, and are still overwhelmingly geared towards the ICW... For the trip you're planning, I think you could easily do without them, just go with the charts... don't know of any better alternative than to go with the Maptech chartbooks, unless you look at the offerings from Bellingham chart printers...

One suggestion I'd make to break the trip up a bit, make it a bit more fun... IMHO, the sounds of NC are one of the most underrated cruising grounds on the US east coast... I'd head for Beaufort instead of going out around Hatteras, unless perhaps you just had incredibly good weather in your favor for staying outside... There is no nicer place to sail into after a passage of 4 or 5 days than Beaufort... then, go up inside behind Hatteras, spend some time at places like Ocracoke, then either back out at Oregon Inlet, or up inside the Ditch or perhaps the Dismal Swamp to Norfolk... You'd add some time to the trip, of course - but to me it seems a shame to blow on by that area without seeing any of it... Unless you might be able to do so on the return south, of course...

What are your plans once you get up to the Cape?

best regards,

Jon