Steady As She Goes
As we begin the next decade of PMM, I thought it appropriate to publish a reader’s letter to me regarding how our niche has grown. There has been much discussion at the boat shows this season about this very subject, so I feel like stepping out of our normal routine to share this with you.–BillP.
Dear Bill,
What began in my thoughts as an intended criticism is instead going to be an affirmation and endorsement!
After reading the editorial in the Sept. ’05 PMM, where an effort was made to define the meaning of “trawler,” my mind was abuzz…and has been for weeks. I have been a faithful and loyal reader of PMM since the first issue, immediately taken by the notion that finally, here was a niche publication whose focus is on my favorite kind of boat–the trawler. I am also a devotee of the Robert Beebe school of what a true, passagemaking-capable boat should be, at least in his–and subsequently my–opinion. Finally, I have the good fortune to reside and cruise here in the great Pacific Northwest where there are a huge number of boats to see, compare, and evaluate, and where a great many boats of all types are, of course, designed and built.
So now comes Bill to tell us that “a trawler is a metaphor”–a “lifestyle”–one of “capability, grand adventure with elegance, and all the comforts of home”…“a safe, competent powerboat on which we live comfortably.” Well, OK, we can do that today on a lot of boats of all types, styles, and sizes, from “go-fasts”to megayachts, and everything in between. But that doesn’t make them all “trawlers” in the traditional sense, and certainly not all of them are, by any stretch, “passagemakers.” Then we have the growing array of boats advertised, and sometimes reviewed, in PMM,
and, in my view, not all of them fit the mold of “trawler” or “passagemaker” in
any form.
How are we to deal with this dilemma? Aren’t trawlers, in our case “pleasure trawlers,” derived from working fishing boats–sturdy, efficient boats designed to spend many long days at sea, day in and day out, doing their job safely? Isn’t that what our boats are supposed to be modeled after? Isn’t that what Robert Beebe brought to the table with his thoughts and concepts: sturdy, full-displacement hulls; efficient and reliable power systems; plenty of allowance for storage of fuel, water, and provisions; and safe, comfortable living spaces under nearly all conditions?
Then I recalled an early lesson in boats: that every boat, no matter how small or how large, how plain or how fancy, is a compromise. Because we are dealing with finite dimensions and purpose, rarely can we have something “here” without giving up something “there,” and always at a cost, in terms of performance, range, size, comfort, economy, or even (perhaps most importantly) dollars! So what fills one boat owner’s appetite doesn’t begin to satisfy another’s, because each has different needs and tastes.
I also went back to the first issue of PMM, published in January 1996, and reread Bill’s kickoff piece, “The Philosophy of Passagemaker,” and you know what?! Nothing had changed!
Even at the outset, the focus was more on the common shared lifestyle and attitude than it was on the particular boat or boat type, and that notion obviously has persisted over the years. It is a key element of PMM I’d forgotten. Sure, we see more boats advertised and reviewed that maybe I don’t think fit the mold or my definition of “trawler,” but I still learn something from each of them. And even when I sometimes think PMM is starting to go off course and look like any other motorboat or yachting magazine, along comes an article or feature on a boat that closely fits my taste–and everything is suddenly good again!
Some of us may be fortunate enough to see and experience “blue water” in our boats, while others will never get beyond sight of land. But we all share a common bond and thread, and that is, indeed, the lifestyle.
Thanks, Bill, for the clarification, and reinforcement. May the next 10 years at
PMM be as good as the first!
Bruce Elliot
La Conner, Washington
Philosophy of PassageMaker
Originally published in PMM’s Premiere Issue
Setting out on this course with PassageMaker, we thought long and hard about the backbone philosophy of our publication. It is all about passagemakers–the boats, the people, and the lifestyle.
However, there are vast differences in the intended cruising and voyaging plans of the owners. Some of us dream of ocean passages to distant lands or island paradises, or cruising the European canal and river systems, or gunkholing around the coast of the U.S., or voyaging to Alaska, the Caribbean, Newfoundland, or Mexico. A number of people plan extended cruising on our inland waterways, or cruising the ICW or Mississippi River. Passagemaking takes many forms.
There are also some strong opinions out there about what a trawler is, and what it is not. Some owners are adamant about the full displacement nature of their boat’s hull form, which provides excellent tracking ability and offshore capability. Others insist their ideal is a semi-displacement boat with fabulous teak interior and excellent speed and accommodation potential. Still others identify closely with custom or converted commercial designs, developed to maintain life aboard for long periods.
What is remarkable about all this diversity in thinking is that a fairly common theme transcends the differences between boats, cruising plans, and owners. It is the trawler lifestyle that binds together all of these interests. As a whole, the lifestyle we enjoy is about quality of life, self-sufficiency, economy of operation, modern conveniences, cruising capability, and true comfort aboard.
Most of us want the ability to spend less time at a dock, preferring instead a quiet or secluded anchorage. We often cruise at a leisurely and economical speed, which extends our range and independence. We tend to enjoy the voyage as much as the destination. Much like turtles, we may travel at a slower pace, but are content knowing that no matter where we end up, we are already home.
Almost without exception, the owners of these boats share a reverence for the engine room or compartment. More than a simple premise of “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” we know that the safety and success of our cruising absolutely depends on the reliability of the boat’s propulsion and major systems. This reliability is achieved primarily through devotion of the crew towards simple and routine maintenance schedules.
There is also a realistic desire for self-reliance in our approach to the boat and its systems. We want everything aboard to be as workable, reliable, and fixable as possible. In a world of awesome push-button and electronic technology, we alone want to determine when and where this technology should be used to make our cruising safer and more enjoyable.
Many of us also look to get back to some simpler truths, some basics ideas of what is important and what is not. Many of us feel a strong need to get a little closer to the feelings we had when we first got involved in boating–the sense of independence, the confidence we developed in our boats and ourselves, the dreams we created, the desire to learn the skills and craft of practical seamanship so that we might travel with self-reliance, avoiding the overly complex or unfixable.
We need to maintain accountability in our boating. By preparing our boats and ourselves beforehand, we can avoid many threatening or disastrous situations. Self-reliance is an important characteristic of the successful voyager or cruiser, and it is developed through experience, knowledge, and heart.
The people who cruise in trawlers usually do so as a team. They share decision-making responsibilities regarding the boat, the necessary planning and preparations, and the passagemaking. They share the good and the bad together, the realities and the dreams. Often couples, their bond is tested and often strengthened by this experience. Shared with family and friends, the team philosophy can provide insight and balance to all of our relationships. So we celebrate the team, and strive to satisfy each of your interests.
PassageMaker focuses on exploring and presenting the realities of cruising and voyaging. We will document the preparations necessary for traveling and living aboard, and how to deal with any number of practical and often non-marine issues. We want to assist you in making your cruising plans attainable, affordable, and enjoyable.
We intend all these things, and hope that PassageMaker becomes an active platform for all of us to share information, our ideas, and ourselves.
Steady as she goes.
Bill Parlatore Editor-in-Chief