“Dear Mr. Parkinson: I’ve been a loyal Cruising World reader since the beginning.”
Since the day I began at the editor’s desk almost three years ago, I’ve probably received more than two dozen letters from readers that started with these exact words. Naturally, when a letter from a reader leads with the phrase “since the beginning,” I tend to sit up a bit straighter in my chair, set down the coffee, and pay close attention.
Still, I couldn’t fully appreciate the gravity that those words carried until this magazine snuck up on its golden anniversary and I took a deep dive down memory lane.
For fun, I’ve been spending my nights and weekends this summer combing through 18 boxes of Cruising World archives dating back to the very first issue. Fifty years ago, an Aussie sailor named Murray Davis launched Cruising World on a shoestring budget and a whole lot of hope. It was a new voice for the cruising sailor dedicated to the great life afloat that came at a time when racing competition largely carried the headlines.
For me, those early issues of Cruising World offer a fascinating snapshot of a time that feels both familiar and distant. As I turned fragile page after page, I was struck by how much has changed about cruising over the years, yet how much remains the same.
Back then, gear was as basic as it gets. A compass, a paper chart and a healthy dose of seamanship were all you really needed to set sail—well, that and a boat of course. VHF radios were a luxury, and the idea of a GPS was pure science fiction. We’ve come a long way, but the core of the magazine has always remained the same. It’s about the journey itself, not just the means or the destination.
I can’t say I’ve been a Cruising World reader since those early days—I was still a twinkle in my mother’s eye back when the magazine was born—but I sure remember the day I became one. I was 10 years old and really into sailboats at my first Newport International Boat Show back in ’86. My eyes were as wide as winches. We didn’t come home with a boat, but we did sign up for a subscription.
Those first issues arrived in our mailbox like a lifeline to a kid dreaming of what lay beyond the breakwater of our local inlet on the Connecticut shoreline. I wasn’t cruising yet. Just the son of a sailor dad, but the articles about how to sail and all the faraway places you could go once you learned ignited a fire that’s never really gone out.
When my parents finally took the plunge into sailboat ownership in the ’90s, the tech revolution was just beginning. VHF radios, wind instruments, depth sounders and GPS were standard accessories. Yet, I rarely met a serious cruiser who didn’t have a sextant, either on board or back at home.
While I appreciate the comforts of modern cruising, I imagine that there’s a large contingent of longtime Cruising World readers who still yearn for the simpler days. I get it. Yet, change is inevitable. It’s hard to deny the allure of technology when it comes to safety and efficiency. As long as we remember the core skills of seamanship, these advancements can only enhance our cruising experiences. And as you’ve probably noticed, the way we cover them has evolved significantly as well.
Friends, with our October 2024 issue, the Cruising World brand is 50 years strong. It seems like an eternity, and at the same time, for many of those “since the beginning” readers, probably fleeting. In my time here, I’ve found that the true lifeblood of this magazine has less to do with names on a masthead, and more to do with our extraordinary community of cruising enthusiasts, contributors and readers who fuel it—lending each issue their technical expertise, their tales of adventure, and their shared love for the cruising experience.
Through all the years, we’ve met some neat people and heard some incredible stories. With your enduring passion to wonder and wander, I’m eager to see what the next 50 years will bring.
One thing’s for sure: The journey will be the adventure.
