Soundings: Sixty Years of a Boating Institution

In the early 1960s, Jack Turner and two friends sat around a kitchen table with a bottle of gin and an idea: start a newspaper for boaters. That timing proved decisive. Soundings was born just as the marine industry shifted from wooden boats to fiberglass, setting the stage for a major boatbuilding boom that helped the new publication thrive.

Turner later reflected on that fortunate moment. “It was this stroke of dumb luck that enabled us to survive in spite of ourselves,” he wrote while celebrating the magazine’s 40th anniversary. The paper’s rough-and-ready format—newsprint filled with classifieds for used boats—won a devoted audience of practical boat owners, often dismissed by others as a “fish wrapper” or “birdcage liner.” For the everyday boater, it became an indispensable resource.

Looking back, Turner believed the opportunity to found the publication was fleeting. “We had no capital, no market research, no business experience,” he recalled, noting that he and partners Scott Hyfield and Bill Morgan launched Soundings at exactly the right moment. The boating world they entered has since changed dramatically. “Everything is so serious,” Turner observed before his death in 2005, lamenting how modern life is increasingly tempered by regulation, safety concerns and insurance considerations.

Turner himself embodied a different spirit—adventurous, informal and willing to try new things. A former U.S. Marine, he left a distinct imprint on Soundings. Colleagues learned to embrace change under his leadership, and his willingness to experiment helped shape a nimble, resilient approach to marine publishing.

He often recalled the early years of boat shows and industry life as an era of lavish parties and easy camaraderie. In the old Dauntless Shipyard in Essex, Connecticut, Turner hosted loud celebrations after major issues were completed. He’d sound a conch to start the festivities; a handle of Mount Gay rum and a case of cold beers would appear on the paste-up table, and the party’s end time was anyone’s guess.

Physically imposing with large hands and a booming voice, Turner disliked pretension and dressed like a sailor—Topsiders and no socks, even in winter. But he was also a Renaissance man: publisher, boatbuilder, sailor, gardener, chef, woodworker, artist, computer programmer, novelist and reporter. He was relentlessly creative and easily bored by the status quo, always pushing the magazine to be lively and engaged.

That energy showed in the editorial stance of Soundings. Turner and his mostly young team aimed to produce a genuine newspaper focused on the marine world—hard news, race results, accident reports and industry developments—rather than the glossy magazine features common at national titles. For years the paper combined straightforward journalism with a substantial classified section printed on economical newsprint, enabling thousands of boats to change hands through its pages.

Under Turner’s direction the title expanded. At its peak, Soundings produced nine regional editions, employed more than 80 people and spawned sister publications—most notably Soundings Trade Only, focused on the marine industry, and WoodShop News. Both began as Turner initiatives and continue to reflect the original entrepreneurial spirit.

Success did not come without challenges. Turner chronicled near-bankruptcy, layoffs, libel suits, disputes among investors, union activity and the growing influence of bankers and accountants who prioritized profit over his editorial ideals. “Almost suddenly, we’d moved into a new dimension, where there were banks, stockholders and accountants who cared more about making money than I did,” he wrote. “And incredibly, to my surprise, they were in charge.”

Over the decades, four different owners or investors have helped sustain the title. Trader Publishing Co. of Norfolk, Virginia, acquired Soundings in 1997 from majority owner Don McGraw and Turner. In 2011 the magazine was purchased by Active Interest Media (AIM), a publisher that at one time managed more than 50 magazines and reached millions of readers worldwide. AIM continues to operate several marine brands today.

As with seamanship, adaptation has been central to the magazine’s longevity. A dozen years ago Soundings moved away from its newspaper roots and evolved into a single, cohesive magazine better suited to contemporary readers and the digital age. Yet the publication’s heart remains the same: a team of passionate boaters and journalists who celebrate both classic yachts and modern designs, refits and new builds alike.

Turner always urged his staff to write with vitality. That instruction endures: Soundings continues to aim for stories that spark the same enthusiasm for the boating life that animated its founder—whether the subject is a modest skiff, a lovingly restored classic, or a blue-water passagemaker.

Bill Sisson is the former editor-in-chief of Soundings, and the founding editor of its sister publication Anglers Journal.

This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue.