My Privilege

Another visit to Ocean Village today, this time for a photographic session around the marina and final tasks before putting the Spring edition of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s magazine to bed.
The Yachter magazine is published for the benefit of members twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, and this is the twelfth year I have had the privilege of pulling together all the strands which make up the content and hopefully producing a readable, informative and entertaining magazine for members whether they sail or not.
After a lifetime in journalism in daily newspapers and magazines with more often than not satisfying deadlines by the hour, and sometimes by the minute, I might have expected a more leisurely approach to deadlines with a magazine publication frequency of twice a year.
Not a bit of it!  The disciplines are precisely the same — frustration when anticipated plans do not go as expected, and just like all those years before, meeting production schedules to ensure publication targets are met Even though I set those targets myself.
On the other hand, would I have it any other way? Certainly not! And doing all this in one of the most enviable environments around where this is the kind of satisfying and relaxing outlook whichever way you look.  And you can count your entire audience and readership as friends.

Editorial planning in newspaper offices where I have found myself working in various parts of the south and south west over the years never held quite the inspirational view as this.