The June issue now on newsstands represents quite a milestone for the magazine. Sea Kayaker has been in print now for 25 years. In this anniversary issue there are a couple of articles that point to some key elements that have been a part of keeping the magazine coming off the press. The first is Bob Burnett’s account of creating a community of kayakers when kayakers were few and far between. At first Bob turned to the internet and email to find paddling partners so he wouldn’t have to paddle solo, and then created web-based clubs and networks to connect kayakers and to share information. The second article of note is a profile of long-time East Coast kayaker and cold-water guru, Chuck Sutherland. Like a lot of us who took to the water well before the magazine came into being, Chuck gathered his experience the hard way. His discovery that the paddling garb that was once commonly accepted offered little protection when in cold water ultimately lead him to educating the kayaking community on apparel that would make cold-water paddling safer.
In these two articles the emphasis is on community, education and safety. These three elements were at the heart of the decision in 1983 to create the magazine and in 1984 to get the first issue into the hands of an eager group of readers. In spite of all that has changed in the last quarter century, including your on-line connection to us through our e-newsletter and online forum, community, education and safety are still the driving focus behind the work we do here. |
