On Watch

A show of hands, please—Who among us predicted the COVID-19 pandemic? What if I told you that a quick Google search of “1918 flu economic impact” would result in a …

I don’t know about you, but this shutdown has given me plenty of time at home with my family. Back to the basics for sure at my abode in Seattle. …

Have you noticed that on just about every website, there’s a section of frequently asked questions (FAQ) to help you even before you need help? Instead of a tick-tock chronology, …

There are few better books out there on lobbying and advocacy than Dr. Frank Luntz’s Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear. It’s true. This …

Very few days go by without me being asked, “What’s the latest with copper bottom paint?” This query has followed my career at Northwest Marine Trade Association since the 2011 …

Now for something completely different, I offer a recreational boating SWOT for you to throw darts at or hang on your power wall. For the uninitiated, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, …

As famed 60 Minutes host Andy Rooney would say, “Life’s like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.” For me, that …

If you are like me, then next to On Watch, my second favorite part of Northwest Yachting is the reviews of new boating gadgets and technology (Goods and Gear and …

If there’s one common characteristic of government affairs and boating, it is the number of groups that end in “A” and all seem to fit together in the puzzle of …

Thursday, August 8 in Bremerton, Washington, was a memorable experience for me. The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), BoatUS, and the Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA) organized a meet-your-elected-official experience …

Greetings from the customs office at Poet’s Cove, British Columbia! My family just waited an hour to check into Canada before rolling into Port Browning. As my father-in-law just yelled …

No, this headline isn’t the latest summer blockbuster. Rather, as the squeeze gets tighter on the Seattle and Puget Sound area, the pressure to accommodate various special interests weighs ever …