The single biggest thing I’ve learned in my 60 years of making trips around the sun is that it’s all about people. It may appear to be about other things, but when you get down to the real nitty gritty, it’s people. It was that way in my life as a racer too. People saw the boat and me, but what really made my racing career a success was the talented, hardworking people that surrounded me. Those amazing boats didn’t materialize out of thin air. They were designed, created, and maintained by dedicated people, who loved what they were doing and strived to always reach higher.

My friends at Ranger Tugs are very similar to my racing teammates. First, they simply love boats and being on the water! They are in the business, first and foremost, because they love boats. They have been designing and building boats for many decades, always trying to improve upon their creations. In racing, our goal as a team was to always try to better our last, best performance. It’s the same at Ranger. They just never stop trying to create a better “mousetrap.”

I find there are three basic kinds of teams. There are teams that are supremely competent, but not much fun to be around. Then, there are teams that are really fun, but maybe not as good as what they could or should be. And then there is the best kind of team, a group of people who are amazingly competent and driven to excellence, but are also fun-loving and great to be around. That’s when the magic happens! Those are the teams that I treasured from racing days. Life is good when you are part of a group like that. I believe Ranger is that kind of team. Hardworking, dedicated, loving what they do and so much fun to be around and spend time with.

I’m also a big believer in supporting my neighbors. I try hard to support businesses in my community, region, and country. Here’s how I look at it. If the local businesses are successful, my community, state, and country will thrive and I will thrive right along with them. Ranger builds all of its boats right here in Washington state.

And, lastly, great service is critical to me. Great service is harder and harder to find these days. Ranger not only provides great service, but when you own a Ranger, you’re part of a community takes care of each other, just like communities should. Sam and I have enjoyed a wonderful eight months with our Ranger R-27, The Boat Guy I. And the people who design them, build them, and service them, enjoy them right along with us.

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!