Charlie's Charts Charlie's no more

by Tim Rosini, The Log/Sail-World Cruising on 28 Jan 2011 The widow of Charlie Wood has sold 'Charlie's Charts' to some longtime professionals in the yachting industry. Charlie himself died in 1987, but since then his widow Margo, who was co-author of the cruising guide, has maintained the charts - until now.

'Charlie’s Charts' is a well-known series of cruising guides that have long been used by sailors to navigate cruising waters from Costa Rica and Mexico to Alaska.

Capt. Holly Scott, owner of Mahalo Sailing Instruction and Charters and longtime leader in Californian sailing circles and Jo Russell, who has extensive experience in yacht maintenance and retrofits, have teamed up to make the purchase.

When asked how the purchase came about, Holly explained to The Log, 'It was just one of those things. Margo Wood was speaking at a yacht club in British Columbia and announced she was interested in selling ‘Charlie’s Charts.’ An acquaintance of mine called me and said how great of a fit it would be (for me) — and it just happened from there.'

Scott, who has always claimed that she herself relies on 'Charlie’s Charts' in those moments where 'everything can go wrong,' said boaters can expect the guides to remain just as helpful, with the new owners at the helm.

'What I’ve always said I liked about ‘Charlie’s Charts’ was the easy-to-read simplicity,' she said. 'We obviously want to keep their legacy of being a readily available, easy guide for all boaters — and we will continue to make sure they are always up-to-date and accurate.

'Of course there will be some slight changes: We want to add some of our own personality to the website, and things will continually be updated as time goes by,' Scott explained. 'But the main thing we want to assure longtime fans of ‘Charlie’s Charts’ of is that they will continue to be happy and can always rely on them when they are most needed.'

For more information on Charlie's Charts, go to the www.charliescharts.com!website.

For more information about Holly and her teaching and chartering exploits, visit the www.mahalosailing.com!website

For more information from The Log, go to their www.thelog.com!website