Scuttlebutt turns 4000

Milestones are worth mentioning, and the 4000th Scuttlebutt newsletter on January 15th is one of them. That it happens a day following founder Tom Leweck’s 83rd birthday is worth a shout too.

Scuttlebutt was first launched in 1997, well before regatta organizers and the sailing media had embraced the Internet. The early focus of the email newsletter was Southern California, but as interest in the publication grew both nationally and internationally, so did the content. The manner in how the sport of sailing would be reported was forever changed.

The website came along in 2003, and we selected www.sailingscuttlebutt.com from what remained available. The site was revised in 2013, now allowing us to post content in near real time, with the newsletter distributing the top stories of the day. Social media further shares the updates.

While Scuttlebutt was clearly a good idea when launched, surviving for 17 years means something else. Hopefully it means we are doing something right. We follow a simple credo: ‘Credible, Reliable, Responsible‘. It has served us well.

Our respect for the sport, and its participants, is paramount. Our role isn’t to overshadow but to observe and to share. Fulfilling this role would not be possible without the support of outstanding sponsors and elite readership. We have the best of both!

It’s hard to say what Scuttlebutt will look like in the future, but we hope you’ll be involved in the decision. Sail on!