. . . to a fresh crew of familiar old hands
Issue 115: July/Aug 2017
In early April, Jerry and I experienced “the first day of the rest of our lives.” This followed my waking one morning in late February and announcing to Jerry that it was time to retire. “We’re not getting any younger,” I said. Of course, it’s not easy to retire if you own the business, to leave your creation in someone else’s hands. But Jerry and I came up with a plan that, assuming you’re reading this in the pages of the July issue, is a good one. Three younger staff members have taken the reins from us and will carry Good Old Boat forward. Other than improvements that you might expect enthusiastic new owners to bring, you’ll hardly notice the change.
Karla Sandness is now the CEO, overseeing all company operations. She has been with us nearly from the beginning. She’s the friendly voice you hear when you call and has been managing the company finances for nearly two decades. Karla has found that it pays to stay with a job and outlast the owners. We think of her as a daughter.
Joining Karla are two of the staff responsible for magazine production: Michael Robertson and Nancy Koucky. Michael, in one year, has shot to the top of the org chart from managing editor to become the new editor, filling my shoes. Nancy has been responsible for Good Old Boat page design for four years (ever since we began looking as good as we do today), and started with us several years before that managing advertising design and ad placement.
The new owners will continue to be ably assisted by the Good Old Boat staff. On the production side, the hand of Jeremy McGeary is probably most apparent to readers and deserves mention. He’s the senior editor and creative genius who writes terrific headlines and offers superb technical editing.
So what of the founders and the first day of the rest of their lives? On the last day of March, we officially stopped functioning in our old capacities; hitched Sunflower, our C&C Mega 30 project boat, to our truck; and headed south to Florida for a six-week vacation.
The day after launching Sunflower, we put up the mainsail and headed toward a new berth for our yellow boat and the beginning of a new lifestyle for the two of us. We’ll be sailing Mystic, our C&C 30, on Lake Superior in the summer and towing Sunflower to wherever the warm winds blow in the colder months.
Our thanks to all who have played a role in this magazine over the years as subscribers, as advertisers, as authors, and as friends. Jerry and I are proud of the community we’ve grown, built around the sailing magazine for the rest of us. We have enjoyed our relationship with each and every one of you.
Now we’ll see you on the water!
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
