After falling in love with The Bahamas after a few short cruises in the 1970s and '80s, Sara and Monty Lewis, founders of Explorer Chartbooks, started living their dream of cruising there regularly. Sara said, "We loved the life instantly. National news and latest conveniences were unimportant. What drove our decisions about where to go and what to do were the weather and finding a fresh tomato. We didn't set out to create navigational charts for the Bahamas. It just unfolded."

Monty and Sara recount that they discovered a life of simplicity and the warmth and generosity of people--local festivals, regattas, and church services. The new lifelong friendships of sharing anchorages with happy hours, potlucks, hiking, and beachcombing.

Monty said, "In our cruising 'retirement' we wanted to go to more remote places. Charts didn't have the details we wanted including soundings, routes, anchorages, and shoreside facilities. So, we sat down with more salty-seasoned cruising friends and local fishermen who were willing to give some guidance where there were no magenta lines. Before GPS, our first tools were a depth sounder, a compass, and a Radio Direction Finder. Weather reports were from Charlie's Locker in Florida and ZNS in Nassau."

The evolution from tissue paper tracings to topographical maps as templates on the drawing board to digital versions became the continuum of the cartography that has been the foundation of the Lewis' work and dedication.

Many people ask us how we began the process that evolved into the Explorer Chartbooks." Monty puts it very simply: "I found the best routes and the best way in to our favorite places and shared them. The results are that cruisers in 2025 can connect the travels of Christopher Columbus using today's amazing technology."

From that dedication and exploration resulting in the first edition of Explorer Chartbooks in 1995 to today, the gold standard of charts and electronic nautical charts for The Bahamas is celebrating 30 years of excellence.

For a detailed overview of how Explorer Chartbooks, Waterway Guide Media, and the Aqua Map mobile navigation application have collaborated to offer a seamless experience for charting and navigation in The Bahamas, read this .pdf.

View Charts and Guide Books