From the Helm

Remaining Hopeful

As the boating industry continues to navigate COVID and its ensuing complications, boat shows —especially those held indoors — remain up in the air. We just got word that the 2022 Toronto Boat Show is moving to an online format, and the Chicago and Detroit shows have been canceled. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that things will eventually return to some form of normalcy in 2023, that supply chain issues will be resolved, and that a new generation will be drawn to boating.

One woman who knows this better than most is Nicki Polan, Michigan Boating Industries Association’s (MBIA) executive director, who is hard at work organizing shows and finding new ways to reach and educate a new audience of future boaters (p. 44). Read about Polan’s more than three-decade career at MBIA, as well as the association’s five main priorities, including protecting Michigan’s lakes and fisheries.

Today’s marine industry is collectively working to create safer products and solutions for boaters. But safety standards were not always top of mind in the boating world. One particularly grim example of this is the case of the Atlantic paddle steamer, which sank in Lake Erie in 1852 (p. 40). While unbelievably tragic, this disaster set in motion new — and much needed — boating safety mandates, including requiring adequate lifeboats and life preservers for every passenger onboard; implementing fog horns; and establishing maximum passenger limits.

While you eagerly await the upcoming boating season, consider adding Washburn, Wisconsin, to your cruising schedule (p. 48). This friendly port of call offers a slowed pace, modern amenities, a charming downtown, tons of recreation options and quick access to the Apostle Islands. Visit to see for yourself!

Stay safe, warm and healthy!

Do you have a story idea you’d like to suggest? Email me at kbush@lakelandboating.com to share your ideas.

AREAS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Washburn, WI p. 48

CONTRIBUTORS

KEN KREISLER A multi BWI awardwinning journalist, Capt. Ken began his nautical career while in high school, spending summers doing odd jobs in the boatyard of a local marina in Brooklyn, New York. He worked his way through undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate academic studies as the skipper of his own six-pack charter boat, and upon completion of his degree work, secured his first job as a writer in the marine industry and never looked back. Capt. Ken splits his seasonal time between the New Jersey Shore and West Palm Beach, Florida.

READ HIS STORIES STARTING ON P. 28

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HEATHER STEINBERGER Heather is an awardwinning writer/editor who has specialized in boating, travel and outdoor adventure for more than 20 years. She grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and enjoys powerboating, sailing and stand-up paddleboarding with her husband, professional photographer Richard Steinberger, and daughter, Johanna.

READ HER STORY ON P. 44

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FELICIA SCHNEIDERHAN Felicia, her husband, Mark, and their three tsunamis explore Lake Superior aboard their 38-foot Marine Trader trawler, Mazurka. Their early live-aboard adventures are detailed in her memoir “Newlyweds Afloat.” You can read more of her work

at FELICIASCHNEIDERHAN.COM. READ HER STORY ON P. 48