Cruising World Staff
There comes a time when even the most diligent Mr. Fixit has to bite the bullet, haul the boat, and go to work upgrading or replacing the systems that are vital to keeping a sailboat seaworthy. Done right, the ship goes back in the water better than new. All those little work-arounds disappear. All the drips dry up. All the squeaks and creaks go silent.
It’s the same for most magazines, too, Cruising World included. Over time, styles change, departments are added, we fiddle with type styles, introduce new columns, and repurpose old section labels. Eventually, even we’re left scratching our heads when someone asks why we do something a certain way.
So this year, we decided it was time to hit the hard, so to speak, and give our trusty vessel an overhaul. We’ve spent the past few months going page by page, thinking about each element, why it’s there, what it does, who it entertains.
Now the heavy lifting’s over, and we’re ready to relaunch the magazine that Murray Davis christened here in Newport, Rhode Island, back in 1974—a magazine written by sailors and for sailors. That’s one aspect of Cruising World we won’t change. That’s who we are.
We hope you like what you see as you leaf though the February issue, from the new, more modern type on our cover to our last page, which each month will feature photos of all the wonderful things we do with our sailboats. In between, you’ll find four distinct sections. Let me walk you through them briefly.
Under Way is where you’ll find news and notes from the cruising life. These are short accounts of passages made, landfalls achieved, new boats, coming events, good books, entertaining videos. Here you’ll also find a revamped Passage Notes that harkens back to when cruisers sent us letters with exotic stamps, telling us where they were in the world. They still do, but now it’s via email, Facebook, web posts, Tweets, and all the other ways we communicate.
After Under Way you’ll find our columnists, Cap’n Fatty and Wendy Mitman Clarke, and occasional guest columns from such writers as Ben Zartman, Alvah Simon, and other well-known sailors.
In our feature section, you’ll find the same great sea stories and stunning photos that Cruising World has delivered since the beginning. But moving forward, we’ll look for ways to inject additional information for our readers.
Hands-On Sailor remains the place to go to find practical solutions and techniques geared toward the bluewater sailor. Look, though, for links to additional online information about products, projects, and seamanship skills.
And lastly, Boats & Gear is pretty much what the name promises: a home for new technology, reviews, and products for the cruising sailor.
Our design team includes Bonnier creative director Jerry Pomales; _CW’_s director of design, Bill Roche; and our associate art director, David Norton. The guys have worked hard to get us ready for a new set of adventures. Let us know what you think.
Our many faces: Cruising World_ has undergone many changes over the years, including a passage into the digital world. You can now read us on your iPad, Kindle, Nook, laptop, phone, or desktop. Click ‘Subscribe Today!’ at the top of this page to subscribe to the one that suits you best._
This Editor’s Log appeared in the February 2013 issue of Cruising World. To read more from editor Mark Pillsbury, click here.
