3 minute read
On Watch
BY PETER SCHRAPPEN
More Cheese, Please
Columnist PETER SCHRAPPEN on embracing and advocating for changes within the boating industry.
Did you know that Who Moved My Cheese? has sold 28 million copies since its publication in 1998? For the uninitiated, this ten-minute read by Spencer Johnson, M.D., centers on a parable about two little people and two mice in a maze, searching for cheese, where each character represents a different attitude towards change, with cheese being what we consider success. The moral of the story is, push yourself to find new cheese and the minute you start moving, life will get better. That’s the frame for this month’s column. Did you know that boaters have not strayed from this change-culture ethos, too? Maybe it’s staying on top of the latest and greatest at the Seattle Boat Show, for example, when GPS technology was first adopted in the boating industry. Perhaps you went all in on non-copper paint when those alternative paints came on line. Or, there’s the water-maker technology that took hold in boating. Closer to home, did you know that Washington state pioneered waterskiing? Boaters have not strayed from flipping the script on boating policies, too. The list is long and one worth shouting from the rooftops. For example, boaters led the way in partnership with Recreational Boating Association of Washington and Northwest Marine Trade Association to make boater education mandatory in 2005. This program has never looked back, issuing over 400,000 boating cards during its life. The premise was straightforward: Boating safety laws were coming, so why not be at the table directing the conversation? Plus, safe boating is fun boating. A true win-win. What about asking to get taxed? Can you tell me about another industry and user group that has championed more taxes than boaters? If you do not know what I am referring to, then take a look at your boat registration. Wrapped up with the other fees, you will find five dollars per registration is directed towards protecting our waters from derelict vessels and invasive species. Want safer waters? Thank boaters (and again, thanks to RBAW and NMTA as well) for advocating for stronger boating-under-the-influence laws. Environmental policies, you ask? Well, did you know that the industry co-founded the Clean Marina program and has continually looked at sensible policies around toxic boat paint? So, all that to say, as we think about the future of boating and laws, it’s fun to think about what boating will look like in twenty years, especially given this modus operandi for change (okay, I think it is fun). What issues will be front and center? And will boating continue to enjoy the current popularity it sees right now? The experts at CNBC seem to think so with their recent article titled, “Why the current boating industry boom could be around for a while.” And in the Pacific Northwest, will we continue to see the increased activity that we are currently witnessing even with some trends pointing in the wrong direction? The impasse around permitting for any in-water work and the continual shrinking of recreational fishing seasons that we endure every year both to come to mind there. As long-time boating advocate Norm Shultz said on a recent call, “Boaters buy boats to get away from it all.” That sentiment gives me the heeby-jeebies. If you all walk away, who’s minding the store? Take fuel taxes. Seriously, take fuel taxes, please. Why wouldn’t lawmakers continue to raise taxes on us if we are not paying attention and speaking up? As they say, the only constant out there is change. As we look down the fairway, let’s stay focused on the where the cheese may be tomorrow without fear, knowing that if it’s moved, it’s not a bad thing. Coupled with critical thinking and strategic planning, we could enjoy a sustained boating renaissance we have long sought.
