40 YEARS OF FUN!
Photo by Jan Anderson.
CELEBRATING 48° NORTH'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY In 1981, a couple of guys bellied up on barstools and had an idea… 478 monthly issues later, the good ship 48° North continues to sail, flying the FUN flag high!
solve and projects to tackle. There’s still ceaseless amazement and enjoyment in the simple fact that the wind can fuel our play and our travel. And, spending quality time on boats with good company is still the best of it all. Any discussion of the 48° North history must center on sailing, and the founding principle of 48° North all those years ago: sailing is fun! In recent years, 48° North has welcomed as many PNW boat-folk on varied watercraft to the community as possible. But, it all started with sailing, and we’re still as sail-smitten as ever. Today, no member of the 48° North staff has been alive as long as the magazine. No, your magazine isn’t being made by tweenagers, but that’s a pretty wild thought and highlights 48° North’s impressively long run. Accordingly, a lot of our history is best told by those who lived it, and portions of this article representing that history also appeared in our 25th anniversary edition from 2006. So, there’s only one place to start.
For 40 years, a group of people who live and love the sailing and boating lifestyle have been passionately sharing it with others in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. In print, online, and on the water, this group has stitched together the community quilt of readers, dreamers, racers, cruisers, writers, advertisers, industry pros, and everyone in between that make 48° North what it is. Plenty has changed about the world, about sailing, and about 48° North in the intervening years. Communication and media is certainly different, and so is the way we make the magazine. America’s Cup boats and lots of others now fly above the water on foils. Nonetheless, the most important stuff is steadfast. The waters and coastlines of the Salish Sea still inspire with their beauty, and there’s no better way to enjoy them than swinging lazily on an anchor. The life of adventure, freedom, The debut issue was called and exploration still has tractor-beam pull. Latitude 48, but soon it was Boats of all types still present puzzles to changed to 48° North. 48º NORTH
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THE WAY-BACK MACHINE 48° North began as an idea in a “What if?” bar conversation between Chuck Streatch and Dan Schworer. Appropriately, the bar was the AUGUST 2021
