“Did I finally make the cover this year?”

That was the text I received from Michigan’s Ron Szolack three days ago. Not “Hey buddy, how’s it going?” or “Great seeing you in Key West last month” or even “Can I get another free Stephen Miles-designed speedonthewater.com T-shirt?”

Nope, none of that. Just “Did I finally make the cover this year?”

Heading into its fourth edition, the Speed On The Water Year In Review collectible print magazine is taking beautiful shape.

Damn, Ron, I thought, don’t be shy. Why waste time with small-text pleasantries when you can ask a direct question?

Then again, when a guy like Ron Szolack, a dude who buys and sells exquisite Skater catamarans, such as his new eight-seat 38-footer, the way most people order and consume pizza cares enough to ask the question you know—at least to some degree—you’ve accomplished something.

Of course, Szolack was referring to the upcoming 2018 Speed On The Water Year In Review print magazine, a 196-page collectible edition that will be published and distributed for the fourth time next month.

Read More: Capturing A Year On The Water