Give me 10 reasons why I should buy the Rocket Cruising Guides to New Caledonia and Vanuatu when I can get all the free information I need with social apps like Facebook, Noonsite and NoForeignLand combined with my electronic charts.
OK, here are 10 compelling reasons why the
Rocket Cruising Guides beat Facebook groups,
social media, and crowdsourced Apps
Once you download the guides, you're completely offline. Spend as much time as you want virtually exploring 220 anchorages in New Caledonia or 170 in Vanuatu—studying high resolution satellite, aerial, surface and underwater imagery, depth overlays, the best diving and surfing spots, scenic overlooks and waterfalls on treks, —without burning through expensive Starlink bandwidth or mobile phone data. Your electronic charts need updates. Social media needs connectivity. The Rocket Guides work in the most remote anchorage with zero bars.
Forfar and Sally Petrie S/V Squander wrote:
"With two sailing seasons in New Caledonia and Vanuatu behind us we have found the Rocket Cruising Guides an invaluable, essential resource for information on cruising these fantastic islands. With stunning visual presentations and an instant, intuitive interface, we have been able to quickly find essential navigation information and comprehensive coverage of everything we needed to know to explore these waters. Highly Recommended!"2. Personally and Professionally Surveyed
We've personally visited, photographed, and hydrographically surveyed nearly every anchorage in these guides. Not crowdsourced. Not copied from old charts. We dropped anchor there, did hydrographic surveys of the depth isobars, dove on the coral reefs, gone on treks, talked to the locals, and returned multiple times to verify seasonal changes.
Read his review
3. Over 1,500 Photos You Won't Find Anywhere Else
Frederique and I personally took and edited nearly every photograph in these guides; aerial, surface, underwater reef photos, approach angles, images of hazards. You'll enjoy professional images created with pro cameras. Our 360 degree sphere images have had over 2 million views on 360Cities.com and Google Earth. The New Caledonia guide alone has 1,000+ images across 220 anchorages. That's visual intelligence you simply cannot assemble from social media posts.Captain Nick Baldwin on the 34.7m S/Y BEAGLE V said:
"The Rocket Cruising Guides for New Caledonia and Vanuatu are unlike any other guides I have used. They are very quick & easy to navigate around. They are full of all the usual information that a guide has but with added bonuses of Aerial pictures of the anchorages, Underwater shots of the marine life at that location, 360 degree images of the area that you are visiting and lists of 'things to do' when you get there—you know exactly what to expect when you arrive safely at your destination."
4. GPS-Verified Routes and Depth Overlays
Every GPS route you can import into your plotter has been sailed and verified. Every anchorage includes depth overlays showing you exactly where safe holding ground is and precisely where to drop the anchor without damaging the coral or your yacht. Your electronic charts show general depths. The Rocket Guides show you exactly where our surveys pinpointed the best place to anchor, the depth, holding, and protection from winds and waves.
"The rocket guides are like no other cruising guide we have seen. The amount of information that is contained in these guides is truly remarkable. Having the Rocket Guides aboard when you cruise New Caledonia or Vanuatu will ensure that you get the most of the experience. It is like having your own personal tour guide aboard your boat!" Read their review
5. Updated 4 to 6 Times Every Year
Social media posts from 2019 don't always give you the latest information. I continuously update the guides whenever conditions, regulations, or facilities change. You get current information, not someone's blog post from five years ago that's now outdated.
Murray and Carol Clarke on the 14.6m S/Y JAMS stated:
"Having used the Rocket Guides for both Vanuatu and New Caledonia this season we consider the Rocket Guides a "must have" for all skippers cruising these waters. The route and anchorage data is extremely accurate and the information re local services, walks and snorkeling is invaluable."
6. One Expert Voice vs. Crowdsourced Chaos
NoForeignLand and Facebook groups are great for socializing but they give you scattered opinions. One person says Anchor Bay is perfect. Another says it's too rolly. You'll waste hours on line sorting through conflicting advice. The Rocket Guides give you one authoritative voice backed by 40+ years of cruising experience in these waters.Craig & Aron on S/Y REAO said it well:
"We recommend the Rocket Guides to anyone thinking of sailing to New Caledonia. We have used the guide non stop since being in New Cal to plan the safest anchorages, find awesome snorkeling spots as well as finding parts and services we needed for our yacht. It is such a valuable tool and definitely made our New Caledonia cruising experience 100% better. "
7. Cultural Context and Practical Information
The guides don't just tell you where to anchor—they tell you about where to get supplies and services, communications, navigation aids, environmental regulations, parks and reserves, health dangers, communities, social and official customs, the best times to visit, and how to cruise responsibly. You'll learn how to engage with the local people to maximize your - and their - enjoyment. That's not on your electronic chart.
Marianne Urth on the S/V AMALIE wrote
"We really loved cruising Vanuatu; the beautiful islands and friendly people with their fascinating culture made it an adventure we'll cherish and hope to repeat again soon. We couldn't have done it without the help of the Rocket Cruising Guide to Vanuatu. The Rocket guide was the most useful navigation tool we used whilst exploring the 83 islands of Vanuatu. We found that the Navionics charts were accurate but ideas for safe anchorages are not indicated and that’s where the Rocket Guide came in handy. Lots of information about the island’s traditions and culture which is not readily available anywhere else added to the positive experience of cruising these beautiful waters."
8. Trusted by Professional Captains on Superyachts
If it's good enough for professional captains, it's good enough for your family vessel.
9. You Can Explore Before You Go
With the guides downloaded, you can spend your off cruising season months planning your entire voyage—virtually cruising every anchorage, studying approaches, deciding which islands to prioritize—all offline, at your own pace. It's like having a virtual reconnaissance mission before you ever leave port. Try doing that with social media without burning through data or spending hours hunting for scattered information.Sonja Novotny and Corrie Sternquist on the S/Y Aloha said,
We wholeheartedly endorse the Rocket Guide to New Caledonia. We’ve never sailed anywhere here before, so the first step of our departure planning involves reading the guide’s detailed anchorage descriptions and looking at the photos. When we arrive, it feels like we’ve already been there. The advice has always been dependable. The Rocket Guide is a great time saver and the perfect way to make sure you don’t miss anything on your voyage.
10. Peace of Mind Has Real Value
When you're approaching an unfamiliar reef pass in fading light with your family aboard, knowing you have expert, personally-verified information isn't just convenient—it's priceless.
PP Avron, Skipper de Bamboo Free, emphasized this: "We can't rely on the accuracy of the charts in the Banks islands and being able to cross-check with the accurate GPS points on the Cruising Guide to Vanuatu has been a precious aid for us in Vanuatu."
Viki Moore Pacific Rally
Those are 10 good reasons to invest in the Rocket Guides.
Here's THE Real Reason to buy the Rocket Guides
Imagine this: You've just installed a brand-new diesel engine in your boat—the mechanical heart that will power you through calm doldrums, push you off lee shores, and get you safely into harbor when the wind dies at the entrance to a tricky pass.
What's the very first thing you do?
You don't head to Facebook and ask random strangers what oil to use. You don't scroll through three-year-old forum threads where sailors are arguing about whether the raw water impeller should be changed every 200 hours or 500 hours (with half of them confusing your engine model with a completely different one). And you certainly don't rely on a YouTube video from someone who "thinks this might work."
No. You download the Owner's Manual, the Workshop Manual, and the Parts List. You get the professionally prepared, comprehensive, in-depth information straight from the people who know every single detail of that engine. They give you the exact maintenance schedules, the correct procedures, the precise specifications, and correct ways to diagnose and repair problems when you're 300 miles from the nearest marine mechanic.
Because when that engine is the difference between a safe passage and a dangerous situation, you don't gamble with scattered advice from strangers. You rely on complete, authoritative, professionally documented information—the kind you can trust with your boat, your crew, and your life.
That's exactly what you get with the Rocket Guides for cruising New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
See the parallel?
You can spend hours piecing together scattered information from Facebook groups, blog posts, and cruising forums. You can try to assemble fragments of knowledge from NoForeignLand and social media. And some of it will be very useful.
But to truly understand cruising in New Caledonia and Vanuatu—to know not just where to anchor but why, not just the coordinates but the context, not just the route but the reasoning—you need comprehensive, expert knowledge carefully assembled, personally verified, and continuously refined for over 25 years.
Our guides are masterpieces. Works of art. Digital marvels. Fun.
They're a treasure trove of information that will make a huge difference in your enjoyment, your safety, your confidence, and your experience of these magnificent islands. And they'll save you far more than they cost—in time, in stress, in fuel, in avoided mistakes, and in discovering places you would have missed.
That's the real reason to invest in the Rocket Guides: because comprehensive, integrated, easy to access expertise matters. Because depth of knowledge beats scattered fragments. Because when you're navigating remote tropical waters with the people you love, you deserve the very best information available.
And that's exactly what the Rocket Guides are.
Rich and Cyndi West 11.5m S/Y LEGACY
"The Rocket Guide completely changed our experience of New Caledonia. The best anchorages we visited were those we found in the Rocket Guide. I would say that it's crazy to cruise New Caledonia without it."
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