By clearly pointing out local dangers between Alum Bay in the west and Southsea in the east, it simply and successfully does exactly what it says on the tin. The other half of the equation is the author himself. A consummate professional, Peter Bruce not only conceived the idea, but is responsible for everything between the covers. The result is erudite, lucid and informative – and an object lesson in presentation. Printed on good quality, coated paper with excellent colour photos, many taken at extreme low water springs, a legible typeface and a logical format, it’s almost impossible to fault. Everything about it is testament to the fact that this is a personal endeavour carried out with care and precision. It’s also authoritative and campaigning; one reason perhaps why the author was able to persuade the QHM Portsmouth, Commander Tom Herman, to open a passage between No Man’s Land Fort and the Island shore “enabling small craft to proceed in their own channel clear of large commercial vessels”. But there’s more to it than that. This guide is also a good read, sprinkled with anecdotes and interesting historical facts. Did you know about the wreck of the Santa Lucia, which sank off Yarmouth in 1567 bound for Flanders with a cargo of wool? Or that Calshot used to be an island?