A world-wide community coming together....
I'm sitting here at my desk on Saturday, March 29 trying to figure out what I should say to my readers other than "Thanks." This, our third issue, has been made possible by the moral support of a lot of readers from all sorts of canoe and kayaking types, and the contributions of quite a few of you, too. So: "Thank you!"
To date, we have readers in more than 52 countries. If you look at the map I have on the bottom, right of the page, and click on it, you'll see we are joined by fellow canoe and kayak sailors on every continent, save Antarctica. Readers--fellow sailors--range from New Zealand, to China, South Africa, and Micronesia, to Portugal, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden, to Columbia, Paraguay, Canada and the United States. We are--this community--a pretty big and diverse crew.
You have by now noticed the addition of some advertising. As much as I'd rather win the lottery and be able to just publish this magazine, I have to generate some funds to cover costs. You all seem to understand and appreciate that, so I won't belabor the point other than to ask you to consider making your online purchases through those businesses we advertise. We get a small portion of purchases you make when you access them through Canoe Sailing Magazine, so please allow me to encourage you to spend, spend, spend! For my part, I'll be selective about what advertisers we do have and will keep the bilgewater out of the pages.
To better serve you, we'll soon have a "Resources" page for all your canoe- and kayak-sailing needs. This will be the one place you need to stop by to find whatever you want, thus making Canoe Sailing Magazine your best resource, and first (and hopefully-only) place to look.
I'm also working on getting some videos posted as well.
In this issue we have some pretty interesting articles. We don't have a 'theme' for issues yet; we just take them as they come, and will always offer a wide range of topics in each issue.
A common item of discussion is how to steer one's canoe or kayak. In Issue 2, I had a piece about my kickup, clamp-on rudder. Since then, I've had several readers inquire about how it mounts on the boat. I've addressed that in this issue, along with a discussion about using a button-and-beckett connector in place of various bronze fittings or knots used to attach sails to halyards, sheets and etc.
One of the aspects of canoe sailing is how, with a little bit of thought and time, a paddling boat can be turned into a sailer, not something so easily done with other boats. To show us how a bit of ingenuity can add to our own sailing enjoyment, Dan Reiber's "Kayak Sailing Project" discusses his turning a 14' rec kayak into a sailboat, and Tord S. Eriksson continues with his Klepper project.
There has been an on-going discussion (both in these pages and those of other publications) about how one can cover an open boat's deck without having to drill (yet) more holes. Tom Lewis shows us a great solution with his PVC clips in "A Simple Gunwhale Clip."
Not one (apparantly) to take retirement lightly, Keith Wellman shares his seventy mile, seven day sail along the southwest Florida coast. Keith also sent along some beautiful photos we're sure those of you who are still snowbound will enjoy! (Needle-Needle)
And, of course, there's much more for you to enjoy as well. Before you go, allow me to mention that Tord, Keith and Dan are all readers who took the opportunity to share their experiences with the rest of us. I, and I'm sure, they, would like to encourage you to share your own insights, experiences and maybe just plain lies, with the rest of us. You don't have to be a gifted writer to be in these pages, just a part of the family. Contact me if you'd like to see yourself in Canoe Sailing Magazine.
Thanks-Happy Sailing!
