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At long last, the major creative project that we started in the summer has come
to an end. Sea Ray dealers are passing out new model-year 2012 catalogs at boat show across the country, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We completely retooled the sales collateral this year – that’s five catalogs totaling more than 360 pages, plus a 400-page sales handbook, dozens of specification sheets and the list goes on – meaning we created and executed an entirely new design and wrote entirely new copy throughout.

In my humble opinion, we absolutely succeeded in raising the bar and presenting Sea Ray as the premium, aspirational brand that it is. Which was the project goal at the outset. If you’d like to see the finished products, visit Sea Ray’s digital library, where you can also find several of the focused ebrochures that we’ve completed for the brand during the past year.

We at AVALA Marketing feel like we’re pretty good at this stuff. Please contact me or any of my associates if you like what you see and want to discuss us helping to enhance your brand appeal.
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Once in a while you work on a project that comes together fast and furious and without a lot of specific direction. (Actually, in my line of work, this happens a lot more often than I would like.) It’s always gratifying in such situations to get the job done within the limited timeframe while still maintaining the high quality that charmed the client in the first place.

To wit: The agency I work for, AVALA Marketing, recently completed a 20-page brochure for MarineMax that announces its premium MarineMax Vacations yacht charter program. The new venture begins with vessels from luxury sailboat builder Dufour Yachts, with MarineMax developing custom powerboats for future vacation charters. The first charters are scheduled to begin December 2011 in the British Virgin Islands.

MarineMax needed the brochure done in time for the fall boat shows, and also needed a quick-turnaround press release and email marketing campaign. Here’s the feedback we got from Ted Wright, one of AVALA’s senior designers, after the successful completion of the project:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to send out a conceptualizer of a new product that Lisa Grimm and Brad Kovach just headed up for MarineMax Vacations. This was one of those projects where the client had to have a premium printed piece for a trade show they were doing with less than a week’s notice. Everyone on the team joined in to get this done smoothly and quickly, and with a nice finished result. Lisa has a copy of the actual printed piece if anyone would like to view the real sample. Hats off to the whole team!

Note of caution: Short, one-week deadlines can cause shortness of breath, fainting, vomiting, heart attacks and hair loss. Luckily, both Lisa and Brad survived all of these and are recovering nicely at their desks.

Yep, this line of work is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
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The annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show starts later this week, which means that I’ll soon be making my way south to Florida (but back in time to take the kiddies on their Halloween march). This year, I’ll be helping manage the Sea Ray press event on Thursday, where the builder will premiere its new 190 Sport and 410 Sundancer, and will be reporting from the docks for Yacht Essentials magazine.

I’ll have the added treat of spending an evening aboard the 136-foot Hargrave trideck DREAmer (thanks, BWI) and getting an exclusive tour of the winner of the International Superyacht Society’s “Best Refit” award. The finalists include: the 131-foot Wally Angel’s Share, the 183-foot Feadship Illusion, the 145-foot Derecktor Mari Cha III, the 105-foot Windship MiniSkirt and the 135-foot Feadship Odyssey.

The way I see it, no matter who wins the award, I win. As always, I’m available for additional assignments as needed. Please email bskovach@aol.com if you’d like to arrange coverage before, during or after the boat show.
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I’m proud to announce that Yacht Essentials, the superyacht magazine that I currently manage and edit, has successfully launched a brand-new website! Just like the printed publication, the online home of our little-magazine-that-could is unique because it targets not just superyacht owners but also captains and crew, with specific sections devoted to each audience. You’ll also find daily news updates from the best and brightest in the luxury yachting industry, as well as information on how to contribute to YE, how to advertise with us, how to locate a job on board a yacht...and there’s even a little something about who we are and what we do. I wish I could take credit for the premium look and feel of the website, but most of that came from our talented staff of designers and interactive experts. I just help out with the words. I encourage you to visit the site and respond either here or there with your reactions and/or recommendations.  
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Reality Bites 08/19/2011
 
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Forget what you’ve heard: Fishing is the world’s oldest profession. Denizens of the deep have been a source of food and livelihood for as long as man has been able to toss a spear, wet a line or cast a net. And, if reality TV is any indication, that’s not about to change. By my count, there are no less than six shows – popular shows, pulling in serious ratings – that center on fishing of one kind or another. And why not? Thrilling stories pitting man against sea creature have been popular since Biblical times and before. Here’s a rundown of the latest interpretations. I guess you could group them under the heading Fisherman vs Food. Get it?

Deadliest Catch – What’s deadly isn’t so much the catch (Alaskan king crab). It’s the catching: the profession of venturing into the violent waters of the Bering Sea each fall with a boatload of burly, bipolar coworkers. The award-winning Discovery Channel creation, now in its seventh season, almost single-handedly spawned the reality fishing show craze. And, oddly, Ice Road Truckers.

River Monsters – Host Jeremy Wade (pictured) is an “extreme fisherman” (i.e. soon-to-be Steve Irwin) who travels around the world to catch fish that have attacked people in rivers...because revenge is sweet. The Animal Planet show has battled piranha, killer catfish, freshwater sharks, giant eels and alligator gar. I recommend skipping the episode about the fish swimming into a man’s Jockeys and up his, um, you know. That’s not a joke.

Tuna Wranglers – In this latest Discovery Channel fishing show, manly Australian men must literally dive in the deep end and wrestle sharks that have torn through their fishing nets to get at the massive Blue Fin Tuna trapped inside. After some hand-to-hand combat, the sharks leave through the same hole they came in through. Hopefully. No wonder eating at a sushi restaurant costs so much.

Swamp People – This History Channel show is like the foreign language entry of the group. It even has subtitles! Louisiana has a 30-day alligator hunting season, and the marble-mouthed Cajun descendants who live in the Atchafalaya Swamp take full advantage of it. So, if you enjoy watching “fishermen” bait, hook, grapple and, ultimately, gun down giant reptiles, this is the show for you.

Swords: Life on the Line – Remember the movie “The Perfect Storm?” It’s like that without good dialog and hunks George Clooney and Mark Walberg. The Discovery Channel’s take on New England long liners shows them risking horrible injury and hygiene to catch 1,000-pound fish with swords protruding from their faces in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet. What could go wrong?

Hillbilly Handfishin’ – Redneck is the new nerd. At least, that’s what Animal Planet is hoping. This show invites city slickers to take a hand in the fishing when they head to Oklahoma and, under the expert tutelage of two self-proclaimed hillbillies, practice the fine art of noodling. Not familiar with this fishing technique? It involves shoving your hand and fingers into a hole in the muddy river bottom and seeing what bites.
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It’s been several years since I’ve been part of the marine dealer meeting circuit, that summer-long tour that keeps boating writers well fed while traveling from city to city to try out the newest vessels to hit the water. But, this week, I’ll be dipping my toe back in the water, so to speak, at the 2012 Yamaha Watercraft event in Atlanta. I look forward to getting acquainted with the company’s latest PWCs and jet boats over three days – and maybe getting wined and dined a little, too! The real payoff will be future articles for Yacht Essentials, Heartland Boating, Examiner.com and, possibly, Marinalife. To set the mood, here’s the first full-length feature article I wrote for Motor Boating magazine back in 2001, a result of a Kawasaki Jet Ski event in Arizona. I can’t wait to get back in the saddle and geek out on some new PWCs!

Mission to Mars
By Brad Kovach
    If the planet Mars ever held water, as some scientists believe, it must have made an out-of-this-world boating destination. I’m thinking this while at the controls of a personal watercraft (PWC) that’s ripping down the southern leg of the Colorado River. I’m not the only one of my 10 comrades to compare the eerily extraterrestrial terrain we encounter to that of the red planet. 
    Our mission is a simple one: to get acquainted with Kawasaki’s 2001 line of Jet Skis while riding them from Arizona’s Hoover Dam to Lake Havasu City. En route, we’ll skirt the desolate Mojave Desert to the west and pass three states – this section of the river makes up a portion of the border between Arizona and Nevada and, farther south, Arizona and California. We’ll cover about 130 miles of varied water conditions, from canyon streams to vast lakes.
    “This is probably the best personal watercraft area in the country,” says Patrick Kelly, Kawasaki’s watercraft product manager. “It’s great scenery, and the versatility of the watercraft lets you see it all.”
    Floating near the base of the monolithic Hoover Dam, just upstream from our launch site at Willow Beach, Ariz., I’m inclined to agree with him. In the scant 12 miles it takes me to zoom from dock to dam, I encounter riverside caves, hot springs, navigable rapids and some of the most majestic gorges I’ve ever seen.
    Along the way, I have a chance to familiarize myself with the Jet Ski 900 STX that I’m riding. A sleek, three-person craft, it has been completely redesigned for 2001. The updated version is based on the same hull that supports the Jet Ski 1100STX D.I., which means the new 900 has a deeper keel and longer strakes. These features enhance speed and stability. High performance sponsons also have been added to get the craft on plan faster.
    As I goose the throttle, my head pitches back like an astronaut at blast-off. According to the new LCD multifunction meter, I reach 54 mph – fast. (The LCD also displays rpm, engine hours, trip distance and time, and fuel and oil levels with warning lights.) Zipping through the serpentine canyons at full throttle, I’m impressed by the 900’s aggressive grip when turning and its silky-smooth ride in the flats.
    I make a couple of stops to check my map and handheld GPS – both easily stored in the glove box – and soon find my way to the prearranged lunch site at Red Tail Cove. The 900 has a fuel capacity of 14 gallons and a range of about 60 miles. Though I push that envelope on this leg of the trip, my secret fear of running out of gas and drifting away never to be seen again proves groundless.
    After a light meal, I refuel at nearby Cottonwood Cove Marina and continue south into Lake Mojave. At this point, the glassy water gives way to a three-foot wind chop that looks torturous from a 10-foot PWC. The 900’s deep-V hull, however, handles solidly through the waves.
    A few hours later, we arrive at our secluded overnight stop just north of Davis Dam, and I see the five houseboats that will provide our lodging lined up on a curve of tan sand bar. It’s not quite time to drive into shore, so I circle my bike and head out to explore the labyrinth of inlets that make this area a veritable PWC funpark.
    I pull over and trade the 900 for a Jet Ski Ultra 150 as Kawasaki photographer Kinney Jones finds good light for action shots. A two-seater painted in “Omega Blue and Galaxy Silver,” the 150 is inspired by Kawasaki’s PWC racing program. It boasts impressive power and acceleration due to a number of high performance features, mainly its 145-hp engine with triple constant-velocity carburetors. The result is a nimble 9’6” machine that provides high thrust (904 pounds) and nearly instantaneous throttle response at any rpm.
    Never one to pass up temptation, I find myself screaming toward the opposite shore rather than posing for pictures. The 150, introduced in 1999, is truly awesome. After a few darts to and fro at 64 mph, I come back to carve figure-eights for the camera. Kelly assures me that the standard electric trim tab can be adjusted to meet diverse water conditions, but I don’t need it in the protected cove. I’m too busy spinning and splashing.
    After beaching the PWCs for the night, we change out of our wetsuits, down a few cocktails and prepare for a dinner al fresco. Expecting hot dogs over the campfire – remember that we’re in the middle of the desert here – we’re amazed to find heaping plates of lobster and filet mignon prepared by a caterer aboard one of the houseboats. Bon appetite! After the tantalizing feast, we enjoy a show by a local magician who has been ferried from nearby Laughlin, Nev., to our sand bar by, what else, a Jet Ski.
    You’d think that after a 65-mile, daylong ride, we’d be tired of PWCs. You’d be wrong. Finishing breakfast and quickly organizing ourselves early the next morning, we hop right back in the saddle. This time, I choose Kawasaki’s flagship, the 1100 STX D.I. Identical in size to the 900, the 1100 differs by offering direct fuel injection and a new steering system. The Fitch Fuel Injection technology gives the 130-hp engine hot performance across the power band, reduced emissions and greater fuel and oil efficiency than comparable carbureted motors.
    As we head downstream, I try out the patented Smart Steering system, a computerized setup that provides turning action even if the throttle is not applied. In tight spaces, where I sometimes need to veer but hesitate to lay on the gas due to the rock wall before me, I simply rotate the wheel the way I wish to go, and the engine automatically provides a boost in that direction. The subtle power bursts also come in handy later in the day when I’m navigating around the fuel dock at the marina in Golden Shores, Ariz.
    Joining up with a group of Kawasaki riders, I set off down the shoreline at a cruise of 35 mph. As we pass Laughlin, Nev., a mini replica of Las Vegas looming over the river, civilization once again recedes. Since there’s almost no boat traffic, I jam on the throttle and feel the wind in my hair. Touring like this is one of the best reasons to own a PWC. Like a touring motorcycle, a three-person watercraft is small enough to give you an intimate view of your surroundings, but at the same time, comfortable enough to let you go the distance.
    As we prepare to stop for lunch at a beach sporting a telltale Kawasaki banner, I jump off the 1100 to take a dip. The river water, which drains from the northern Rocky Mountains, is cold even on this 85-degree day. Reboarding is easy thanks to the optional, bolted-on, self-retracting step. Kelly says the 1100 also makes a great towboat. An open rear deck and ample swim platform seem perfect for donning gear.
    Kawasaki has one brand new watercraft, and I hop on with another rider after lunch. The Jet Ski Ultra 130 D.I. combines the Fitch Fuel Injection and Smart Steering of the 1100 with the high performance hull design of the 150. “The 150 and the 1100 have both been very popular models,” Kelly says. “Putting them together makes for a winning combination.”
    With two of us on board, the 120-hp engine with direct injection takes us 52 mph and turns on a dime. I grip the standard second-rider seat strap as the driver corners hard. Before I can marvel that we come out of the deep turn dry, we’re blasting the opposite direction. Like the 150, acceleration on the 130 is nearly instantaneous at any rpm.
    In an attempt to make it to Lake Havasu City in time to catch our charter plane to Las Vegas, we push the throttles to the max as we jet across the city’s namesake lake. At 57 mph, whooping as I huck wakes, I glance at my fellow windblown Jet Skiers. There’s not a cheerless face in the crowd. Well done, Kawasaki. Mission accomplished.
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I’ve been writing online since about 2007, starting with blogging on my old website and contributing to forums around the web. More recently, I’ve authored content for the websites of HGTV, Oshkosh, Nautic Global, Hatteras Yachts, Sea Ray, Boston Whaler and EZ Dock. I now understand CMS, SEO, VPN and all the other alphabet soup bywords that come with the territory. And, BTW, I know how to use them.

Which brings me to the topic at hand. Two months ago, the agency I work for, AVALA Marketing, helped launch a community website for MarineMax Inc., the nation’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer. The site (http://community.marinemax.com) invites visitors to share their boating experiences, photos, videos and opinions, and access resources to help them make the most of their time on the water. There are forums for fishing, watersports, family boating, yachting and more.

If you’re a boater, or just a fan of hanging out on the water, give the site a look. You’ll find a number of featured blogs by yours truly and ones from other industry notables that may or may not have also been written by me. It seems that ghost blogging has become a new avenue of business, both on the MarineMax Community and elsewhere on the web. I’d tell you what I’ve written and for who, but, in the words of friend and fellow freelancer Kim Kavin, then I’d be more of an apparition than a ghost. 

Regardless, I enjoy the work for which I get bylines and the work for which I don’t. If you’re in need of a blogger (ghost or otherwise) who understands the importance of writing for search engines as well as for readers, I might be your guy.
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In honor of another Phish summer tour – even though the band bypassed St. Louis again this year – I reached into the way-back machine and found an article I did on Page and Dr. Jack McConnell while working for The Island Packet newspaper in Hilton Head. It was originally published in 1998. Geez, where does the time go?

Gone Phishin’
Retired doctor enjoys sharing spotlight with musician son
By Brad Kovach
    Greenville, S.C. – Fan after tie-dye clad fan filed over to Dr. Jack McConnell to give words of encouragement, share a hug and hear about Hilton Head Island’s Volunteers in Medicine (VIM).
    “We double-hook them. We lure them in with chances to get backstage, then we land them with the info,” McConnell said, fishing puns intended. “When they hear it’s a free health clinic for the working poor staffed by retired doctors, they get interested.”
    But McConnell refused to bait himself. He knew his identification tag – bright yellow with his picture and “Phish Parent” in big black letters – was as great a draw as his angling articulations. The Hilton Head resident and father of VIM, it turns out, is also the father of keyboardist Page McConnell of the progressive jam band Phish.
    For the past decade, Phish has remained one of the music world’s top-grossing concert acts, with a nomadic legion of fans following the band from city to city. And when the band members are viewed as rock gods, a band member’s relative becomes godlike by association. 
     “They usually tell me how wonderful (Page) is and say how proud I must be,” McConnell said, humbly. “And lots of hugs.”

Phish Schooling
    McConnell reacted modestly to the idea that he may have influenced his son’s piano skills. 
    “Page started at 4. He just sat down and started playing – simple tunes, but he chose them,” said McConnell. By 5, Page was taking lessons. By 12, he was “playing things that I couldn’t touch,” McConnell said. Although they started out playing duets while sharing the same piano bench, McConnell said Page eventually took to longer pieces that he could alter by ear to fit any style, be it classical, jazz, blues or country. 
    “He was a natural,” said McConnell, who plays the banjo in addition to the piano. 
    Page, however, recognized his father’s influence not only on his personal playing style, but also on that of his band. “Everybody in my family plays a little,” Page said. “How I think my dad influenced me is that he introduced me to jazz and Dixieland at an early age. I’m a little more responsible for bringing that to Phish than the others. I attribute that to my dad.”
    McConnell said that as a youth he had his own dreams about being a professional musician but eventually decided on a career in medicine.
    “I could hardly object when Page went into the professional music field,” McConnell said, despite hearing that only 2 percent of professional musicians become successful. “All I know is that he doesn’t write home for money anymore.”

Bene-phish-iaries
    McConnell’s attendance at last week’s Phish show in Greenville was not altogether uncommon. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, go to at least two or three concerts a year, whenever the band makes it to the Southeast. Figuring the band has been together for about 15 years, that’s a lot of time spent in the crowd. 
    “I’m always excited to have my parents come see one of our shows,” Page said. “All of our parents have come at one time or another. We’re lucky to be able to share that with them.”
    The concert on November 18 differed, though, in that the band invited VIM to set up booths at the venue. The tables, manned by Hilton Head staffers, handed out pamphlets describing the organization’s services and hours. Page said Phish asks a local charity to attend each one of its concerts and circulate information – and Greenville is about as close as Phish comes to Hilton Head.
    “We work on the local level whenever possible,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to help us help some of the grassroots causes.” 
    The booths, Page continued, are intended to generate awareness and recognition more than hit up fans for donations. Phish, however, donates a portion of its profits each year to needy organizations through its Waterwheel Foundation, the band’s philanthropic arm – er, fin.
    About three years ago, when VIM was still getting off the ground, Phish held a fund-raising concert in Charleston and donated more than $10,000 to the organization. 
    “Page and the other band members reflect some of what’s the best of his generation,” McConnell said. “It’s not just about music. It’s about teaching responsibility to fans. That’s unusual in a rock band.”

Encore Performance
    Aside from simply attended Phish concerts, McConnell has sat in with the band on several occasions. Usually, he said, this happens during the band’s encore. “It’s a fun thing to do,” McConnell said. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not, they just send over a guard (to get me) before the end of the show.”
    Page said his dad probably has joined the band three or four times. “He’s always enjoyed getting up on stage. He probably suggested it,” Page joked. “Actually, I don’t know who suggested it, but it’s a lot of fun.”
    The two usually share the keyboards and play a blues or jazz boogie, McConnell said. They have performed “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey” a couple of times. “He’s a big crowd pleaser. He’s brought the house down every time so far,” Page said.
    The retired doctor said his most memorable experience with Phish occurred just before he walked out on stage two years ago in Charleston.
    “Before I came on, Page took the microphone and said, ‘Two nights ago, we had Jimmy Buffett play the encore.’ And the crowd went wild,” McConnell said. “Then (Page) said, ‘The only way we can top that is to have my dad sit in with us.’ I can’t tell you how touching that was.”
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'Tis the Season 06/13/2011
 
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When my sister and I were kids, we’d wait anxiously for the annual JCPenny catalog to appear in our home mailbox. This usually happened in the late summer or early fall, or as we called it, catalog season. The arrival of the encyclopedia-sized tome signaled the time for us to start collating our lists for that year’s Christmas. The exercise was innocent and exciting and just a little obsessive compulsive. (It’s in the Kovach DNA.)

These days, though, the phrase catalog season means something completely different to me: Since becoming a marketing copy writer in 2005, I’ve probably written or contributed to over 20 catalogs for premier marine companies including Luhrs, Hunter, Mainship, Sea Ray, Boston Whaler and The Moorings.

Just like that other catalog season, this one happens in summer and early fall. That’s when the companies want their catalogs done and printed, so dealers can be show them off at fall and winter boat shows. The excitement level isn’t quite the same as when I was on the other end, dreaming about receiving the perfect self-indulgent gift, but it’s still fun and challenging. I still base my year around it. And I still get a feeling of great satisfaction when I hold the end result in my hands.

So, if you’re wondering where I am and what I’m doing these days, just remember these two words: catalog season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
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The Life Marina 06/03/2011
 
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I’m happy to have made a new industry connection, and as a result, I recently handed in my first article for Marinalife magazine. It was a short travel piece on Port Washington, Wisconsin, which I visited a few years back while doing a boat test on the Cruisers 40 Express with brand rep Dan Zenz.

This town on the shore of Lake Michigan isn’t the biggest boating draw in the state – that would be Door County – but if you’re running north from Milwaukee, it’s worth a stop. The marina offers free dockage for boaters pulling in for lunch (up to three hours), and the downtown boasts Wisconsin’s largest collection of pre-Civil War ear buildings, several of which are on the Natural Register of Historic Places.

For those boaters who are unfamiliar with Marinalife, it’s a great cruising concierge service that provides information and booking for marinas in the US, Canada, Bahamas, Caribbean, and Central America. Its website has a marina locator and cruise planning services, and membership gets you all kinds of handy services and discounts – plus, a subscription to Marinalife magazine, a quarterly publication featuring cruising stories, marina and waterfront destination articles, and a directory of discounts and specials available to Marinalife members.

So, here’s to the start of a beautiful (and hopefully mutually beneficial) relationship.
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