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« on: May 17, 2018, 06:02:51 PM »
Does the Mainsheet seem a little “thin” these days? Does it need more articles… more Tech Notes? If so, opportunity abounds!
The Mainsheet Editor, Jim Holder, is always looking fo articles that will pique the interest of not only C34 Owners, but the the broader Catalina Family as well. You don’t need to be a celebrated author to pen (you all have computers of course) an article that would be interesting to all the readers out there. Editors will help smooth out any rough spots, you just need to keep the storyline going.
How about Destination Articles of your favorite cruising grounds. Articles about lessons learned that will be valuable to all. Close calls, it’s OK to relate an experience, we have all been there! Look through some of your past Mainsheets and see which articles interested you the most and use them as a guide for your own story. I will bet there is an article within you that everyone would enjoy reading.
As a guideline, articles should be around 1000 to 1500 words, although some in the last issue were much longer than that. It is good to have 4 to 5 photos to go along with the article. These should be as high a resolution as as possible with whatever camera you have at hand. They don’t have to be works of art, just sharp interesting photos related to the story. No zooming with smart phone cameras as they are generally not sharp.
Don’t forget Tech Articles! There are many discussions on the forum about improvements or problems solved on our boats that would make great Tech Articles. Note how many times someone asks for a picture and explanation of your project, the how to's and results. No specific length for these, just try to be as detailed as needed so the reader can follow your procedure. Include photos detailing the progress of the work that will help explain your method or progress. “A picture is worth 1000 words!”
Last but not least, how about getting a great photo of your boat on the cover. Jim is always looking for photos of our sailboats in action, with lots of color. Note the great C34 photo on the Spring issue of Mainsheet.
Articles are due the 1st of March, June, September, and December for each of the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter issues. All general articles should be forwarded to me, and tech articles to John Nixon our tech editor. Our emails are under the Association button on the website. Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions related to a potential article, I am here to help.
Jack Hutteball
C34 Associate Editor
