For most sailors in the Northeast, March really is when things get going in our sport. Sure, some lucky ones have snuck down to Florida or the Caribbean for a week, an enviable break. But for me, sneaking down to the boat to examine the bottom and muse on when the cover can come off gets the mind working. End-of-year frostbite regattas, spring breaks, and summer season planning all come to the fore, requiring executive function to plan and prioritize. The fact that the bottom looked to be in much better shape than I remembered from the fall is a reflection on the optimism that March brings.
So even though this winter has been “unseasonably” warm, it’s probably not quite done yet. There is plenty of time left to examine all of your options. There are good resources within. From the Checking In section to our Calendar to the Storm Trysail Club’s list of events on page 15, there are plenty of things to plan for.
Speaking of Checking In, first up is the acknowledgment from US Sailing of the good works of four heroes from our region. The group is a remarkable mix of roles and kinds of dedication. Bravo to them all!
A last note on content consumption: In case you have not noticed, QR codes are “back.” Of course, they never really left. But the promise and pitch around them back in the ‘90s never really panned out. We were all going to walk around scanning products on shelves to see what was in them, who made them, and when they were on sale. Interestingly, e-commerce from the comfort of your living room may have been the very thing that slowed their consumer adoption, just at the time when we finally had phones in our pockets to scan the codes with! However, for magazine content access they work really well.
So in this magazine for example, there are codes to look at more boats for sale, codes to access longer versions of stories, and codes to scan so that you can buy airline tickets…or tickets to a boat show (not-so-subtle pitch to check the inside back and back covers). So embrace the unloved QR code, and maybe get a bigger phone.
See you in the boatyard!
Publisher
Benjamin V. Cesare
ben@windcheckmagazine.com
