I have no subscriptions, but I always glance through any boating rags I find in marina
laundry rooms, etc. Sure, there's lots of fluff, lots of repetition, and lots of really bad writing, but occasionally there's a gem or two--a piece that really resonates and makes you want to rip out those pages for the scrapbook. There's a couple of authors I followed in the past: I remember going straight to the back of Cruising World to see Tom Neale's column every month back in the 90's, and the Bernon's "Log of Ithaka" column was also a must-read when it came along.
I think the accusations of there not being real people doing real things are little false--I met the Bernons when they were in
Colombia, well, cruising. Alvah Simon, CF's own Evans Starzinger, Webb Chiles--all writers, and all actual cruisers also. And if some are in hiatus from cruising, or have begun to pursue other interests, this doesn't mean they have nothing to say--vast experience gives lifelong insights.
One last observation: not every awesome cruiser is a gifted writer, and not every awesome writer is a notable sailor--the mags are looking for both things at once, and sometimes there must be a compromise: well-told humdrum story, or compelling story poorly told. Both can be equally painful to read, but each offers a little something to enrich the cruisers life while he waits for his
laundry to dry.
Linear Mode
Recent Discussions