The new Cruising Outpost is out, at least in a digital version. My hardcopy is somewhere in transit. I just could not wait. From my initial 15-minute scan it looks great! 180 pages! And, thank God, not a single article on the ICW, good news for us Left Coasty’s. Just in time as my Cruising World subscription is lapsing this month and I am not going to renew it. I am now determined to NOT look at the electronic version until that hardcopy rag is in my hands. Not sure I can pull that off.
So I know that there are some sailneter’s out there that really don’t have warm feelings for the former Lats & Atts magazine, as it was somewhat rough around the edges. The new CO is true to that same style. When you take the former owner of a biker and tattoo magazine and have that person create a cruising magazine it will certainly have the look and feel of the former. That is okay by me.
I have met editor/owner Bob “Bitchin” Lipkin on a couple of occasions. As is often the case, there is much more to a person than the public external view. The fact that he survives in a very difficult industry is one thing, but to have a year (2012) like he has had and to build again scratch is amazing. Clearly, he made some pretty horrific mistakes in his business (which he openly admits). He sold Lats & Atts to a pretty shady group with (from what I can tell) only a cursory level of due diligence. This action sent him towards financial ruin. Though we REALLY must give props to a guy that has shown a striking level of leadership to circle the wagons of his rag tag army to put humpty dumpty’s pieces all back together again. Bob is not a party animal (or maybe additionally to being…) but truly a focused leader that gets s#%t done no matter what adversity he is facing. Not to mention doing this while on the high side of 60’s in age.
So I know that there are some sailneter’s out there that really don’t have warm feelings for the former Lats & Atts magazine, as it was somewhat rough around the edges. The new CO is true to that same style. When you take the former owner of a biker and tattoo magazine and have that person create a cruising magazine it will certainly have the look and feel of the former. That is okay by me.
I have met editor/owner Bob “Bitchin” Lipkin on a couple of occasions. As is often the case, there is much more to a person than the public external view. The fact that he survives in a very difficult industry is one thing, but to have a year (2012) like he has had and to build again scratch is amazing. Clearly, he made some pretty horrific mistakes in his business (which he openly admits). He sold Lats & Atts to a pretty shady group with (from what I can tell) only a cursory level of due diligence. This action sent him towards financial ruin. Though we REALLY must give props to a guy that has shown a striking level of leadership to circle the wagons of his rag tag army to put humpty dumpty’s pieces all back together again. Bob is not a party animal (or maybe additionally to being…) but truly a focused leader that gets s#%t done no matter what adversity he is facing. Not to mention doing this while on the high side of 60’s in age.