“There’s no time like the present”

“Don’t put off ‘till tomorrow, what you should do today.”

“Yesterday is the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.”

           It doesn’t matter which saying you recall your mentors offering up in explanation to whatever situation ailed you at the time, or which one of hundreds of similar ones may have grown to become your favourite; the sage advice of those aphorisms boils down to one life lesson:  “Don’t miss anything”.
            And that’s the message I want to impart to you our readers today.  What, with all the doom-and-gloom news we are consistently being bombarded with from every media source every day, it would be perhaps understandable if we bought into it.  However, there are always two sides to every coin.  And as a multi-decade veteran of both the publishing world and the boating industry, I’d like to offer up the other side of the proverbial coin: “This too shall pass”.
            When it does - and believe me it will, I’ve seen it happen too many times in the past - the only thing you can’t get back is the time you lost worrying about what may or may not happen.  That time is gone.  Time you could have been enjoying your boat.  Time you could have gone cruising with your kids.  Time you could have entertained a client on your boat.  Time that could have – if you acted in positive belief – made your best boating story ever, produced an incredibly priceless family memory, or cemented a new life-long business partnership.
            Now is the best time to buy a boat – interest rates are way down, it’s a buyers market with tons of selection and incredible deals to be had on both new and used boats.  Now is the time to plan to enjoy your boat – escape from the daily stress by planning what you’ll do, who you’ll do it with, and where you’ll cruise on your boat to this coming summer.  Now is the time to visit a boat show and get that something new for your current boat, and to dream about the next boat you’ll buy.
            See, boating isn’t going away.  And neither is PowerBoating Canada.  You can continue to count on us to deliver in 2009 and for years beyond, everything that is truly the best of what recreational boating offers in Canada.           
             And so in this, the final issue of 2008, we’ve tried not to miss anything as we encourage you to both hang onto and to expand with carefree abandon your passion of boating.  Our regular columns - and columnists – share their enthusiasm and expertise.  Real boat owners share their Owners Opinion.  Our editor shares his Field Test results. And we close out the book with our Life Afloat column that asks you to share a big huge heartfelt thank you with the person who introduced you to this incredible, wonderful thing we call the boating lifestyle that remains (through it all) such a positive influence in our lives.

            Don’t miss anything in the months to come.  Grab the deal, dream of the adventure, and believe. 

             See you at the Boat Shows and (soon) back out on the water!

             Bill Taylor