No deviations in Good Old Boat’s wake
Issue 116: Sept/Oct 2017
Back in 1998, when Loran-C was in widespread use and the world’s attention was focused on Y2K, a couple of Great Lakes sailors noted that the content of the most popular sailing magazines was advertiser-driven toward the newest boats and accessories, and that the cost of both was already out of their reach and that of their sailing peers. In response, Karen Larson and Jerry Powlas took a chunk of money out of their savings and got to work starting a sailing magazine for the rest of us.
The premiere issue of Good Old Boat spoke to a silent majority of sailors, people sailing older boats and maintaining their boats themselves. Many of those boats had outlived their manufacturers. Many were no longer supported because of the frequency with which their builders changed hands. But all of them were built of fiberglass, and people had come to realize that boats built of this material would be around for a long time.
In that same issue, Karen summed up her readership by reflecting on our natural inclination to admire the big new expensive sailing yachts, offering that, “Maybe instead, [those owners] should envy us for what we get in return for the bottom-paint splatters on our seaboots and our lazarettes full of tools: we get the confidence that comes with competence. We know we can fix our boats and . . . we know we can sail in adverse situations when we have to. We have gained the companionship of others who really do know what it’s like to own, care for, and sail a boat. We are part of a community of sailors, and there’s nowhere we’d really rather be.”
Amen.
Also in that first issue, author Don Casey summed up the reality of good old boats: “If you are new to sailing, maybe you think owning an old boat is like owning an old car. Here is an essential truth: the only similarity between a 1968 Chevy and a 1968 Hinckley is the year of manufacture. The safe assumption is that a 30-year-old car isn’t trustworthy. In contrast, a well-maintained 30-year-old sailboat can be the equal of a brand-new boat in every way.”
Twenty years and 116 issues later, Loran-C has bowed to GPS and Y2K is a footnote in history, but the silent majority of sailors and the number of good old boats we sail has grown.
I can’t think of a better time to be part of the team putting together the most interesting and worthwhile sailing magazine published today. When Karen and Jerry asked me to join the Good Old Boat family early last year, I jumped at the chance. Now I’ve stepped into Karen’s Topsiders and have taken off at full stride with a group of professionals I’m pleased to call friends. Each of us is committed to turning out a magazine we look forward to reading ourselves.
And as always, we want your feedback. Send me an email if you spot an error in an article, or if you sense we’re drifting away from what you love about this magazine, or if you think we can do better in some regard. Tell me what you think we’re doing right.
And if you’re at the Annapolis sailboat show next month, stop by the Good Old Boat booth and give us your thoughts in person. Most of the crew and several friends of the magazine will be there. We’re eager to say hello.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
