Sunrise over North Carolina’s Outer Banks from Harkers Island Fishing Center. Turn to Page 56 to read about how to enjoy the area’s fall fisheries. Photography by Gary Reich
I’m only three issues into taking the helm as editor-in-chief of Soundings, and it’s clear to me that our readers truly care about this brand. I’ve already received about a half-dozen messages from passionate readers who took the time to let me know what sort of course they’d like Soundings to chart going forward.
Four of those readers said they’ve missed the amount of sailing content Soundings used to publish. Part of that shift has been covering what’s been happening out on the water: a long, slow decline of sailing as a sport in the United States, especially among folks who fit the median age of our readership and are typically moving out of sailing and into powerboat ownership.
Even so, I’m here to tell you that I am enthusiastic about getting on sailboats again. I got my start in boating by sailing, and I lived aboard a 30-foot Columbia for many years in my home port of Annapolis, Maryland. There are still plenty of players in the sailboat game, and I’ve already made plans to get aboard several new models when the Annapolis Sailboat Show wraps up in October. I am excited about adding these wind-driven vessels to our monthly Launched column, along with our usual powerboat coverage.
Another story on the way that’s going to expand the coverage in Soundings is about Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The farm produces and distributes millions of delicious, briny bivalves around the country each year. I trekked through the mud to see the operation and eat some on the half shell straight out of the water. This will be the first installment of a new “Working Waterfronts” column that will highlight the hardworking salts who add character and vitality to the coastal towns we all know and love.
The issue in your hands has a bunch of great stories I think you will enjoy. Monthly news coverage, which includes reporting about Grady-White’s owner Eddie Smith, who is putting the company into a purpose trust to maintain the brand and culture at the storied North Carolina builder after he’s gone appears in this issue. There’s also news about a new build at Rockport Marine in Maine, some concerning reporting about osprey nest failures along the Northeast coast, and remembrances of two boating icons: author John Rousmaniere and boatbuilder John “Jock” Williams.
We also have features that are chock-full of adventure and inspiration. Read about a Nordhavn 43 crew and their journeys across Australia and Indonesia. There’s an excellent profile of Jarrett Bay Boatworks founder Randy Ramsey, who started building boats in a shed with a leaky roof more than four decades ago. Two more stories in our feature lineup this month are about gyrostabilizer manufacturer Seakeeper, and my annual pilgrimage to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, where a great group of friends and I target false albacore and red drum each fall. Warning: It’s addictive.
We’re bringing you an interesting mix of stories that represent the best of what the boating lifestyle can be. Want even more? I welcome everyone to drop me a line anytime to let me know what you’d like to see more of, and less of, in Soundings.
In the meantime, I think I am going to go watch some sailboat races in the harbor tonight. The beauty of that scene will simply never go out of style.
Gary Reich gary.reich@firecrown.com
