GUIDES

61 years and counting

Our promise to you remains the same

From its original beginnings in 1947 as a single small booklet covering the waterways from Maine to Miami, Waterway Guide has grown to encompass virtually all the navigable cruising areas along the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Great Lakes, including the interconnecting waters that make up the Great Loop Cruise.

Throughout the years one thing has always remained constant: our commitment to providing the most accurate, current and usable cruising information anywhere. Along the way we have built an enviable reputation as The Cruising Authority. Now with more than 2,000 annually updated pages presented in an easy-to-use and orderly mile-by-mile format, it's no surprise that Waterway Guide remains the most popular and trusted guide on the market.

"How do you update that much information every year when no other guide does it?"

This is a question we're often asked. Well, we still faithfully adhere to the original style developed in the 1947 Waterway Guide, which required extensive, annual, on-the-water research (by the editor/owner and his wife) to provide accurate updates and additions. What has changed is the number of people involved. We now employ 18 qualified on-the-water cruising editors to collect and verify navigation and shoreside information. Our cruising editors are aided by regular contributors, our sales staff and countless everyday cruisers. Their critical information, along with updated aerial photographs, charts, 4,000 marina listings and the latest NOAA information, is fed to our production staff in Annapolis, MD, where the guides are digitally assembled, checked and made ready for the printer.

The changes in boating since 1947 have been phenomenal and probably could not have been conceived by the original writers of the guide. We sometimes tend to forget that boats were once made of wood and required maintenance to keep them afloat, not just looking pretty. We sometimes forget that navigation once meant using paper charts, parallel rules and a heavy dose of dead reckoning. And who remembers when "$1,000 a foot!" meant an extravagant price for a new 50-foot yacht?

The explosive growth in boating continues, not just in the number of boats but also in the increase in the average size of boats, choices in styles and types of boats, and the ways boats are used, especially for extended cruising. This has led us to increase content and coverage over the years to satisfy our readers' requests for the information they want and know we can provide.

But even more phenomenal has been the development around the waterways of condos, houses and water-dependent businesses-including marinas-all competing for the finite amount of usable waterfront available. As population on the water increases, congestion and pollution increase. As congestion and pollution increase, regulations increase. As regulations increase, more waterfront space is made off-limits. As we all know, or at least have read, this has reached a critical stage in some parts of the country. As dockage becomes tighter, anchorages disappear and dredging funds go to other uses, it is more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information when cruising. Waterway Guide will be there to assist you and our new Waterway Guide Magazine will keep you abreast of the latest waterway issues.

Like the founders, my wife and I stay on top of the growth and changes through our cruising and our contact with cruisers, especially at our marinas in Virginia. Unlike the founders, however, we're assisted by an extensive staff. Our satisfaction is in knowing we, with our staff, are continuing one of the most enduring and worthwhile legacies in our country's boating history. Happy 60th birthday to Waterway Guide, and thanks to all who have built it over the years.

See you on the water!

—Jack Dozier, publisher