Lorena and Leonard Landon, current Managing Editors of the Waggoner Cruising Guide, have always said that they planned to spend their retirement years in active installments of worthwhile causes.
After Leonard sold his company consisting of 250 employees, he kept active as a business consultant and as a mentor for startup businesses. Lorena wrote and self-published a series of restaurant/pub guidebooks for 10 years, specifically designed for boaters after she retired from the Lake Washington School District. The Landon’s continued to be avid boaters through the years; and after moving from Kirkland to Anacortes ten years ago, they have been serving as editors for the Waggoner Cruising Guide. During their tenure as Managing Editors, they expanded the guidebook to 528 pages from 450, adding a new Southeast Alaska chapter and making numerous additions and improvements to the guidebook, while maintaining and updating marina information.
They have enjoyed giving generously of their time traveling by boat, researching and gathering updates for each year’s Waggoner Guide, including creating maps and dock diagrams and working on the layout for the 528-page annual publication. They contributed 3-5 articles every two weeks for the Waggoner website and eNews, created the online updates table, organized webcasts, and presented seminars at both the Seattle Boat Show and for Cruisers College in Anacortes. Early on, the Landon’s organized a group of Field Correspondents, who assist in gathering updates for Waggoner. Other work by the Landon’s included revising and updating the Exploring Series of guidebooks by the late Don Douglass and the late Reanne Hemingway-Douglass. The Landon’s also worked with Waggoner owner/publisher Mark Bunzel on marina studies and assisted with Waggoner website work and digital ad sales. And lastly, helped coordinate the recently developed Waggoner online bookstore.
“Our labor of love has been a gift to the boating community and given in support of the Waggoner business” said Lorena and Leonard; “we are proud to have been a part of the Waggoner name.” Now in their senior years, the Landon’s are moving on to enjoy their next phase in life, looking for another opportunity to once again volunteer their expertise and enthusiasm at a more relaxed pace. For those who step forward to carry on the production of the Waggoner Cruising Guide, the Landon’s will be extending their help to ensure a smooth transition.
We are very grateful to Mark Bunzel for providing us the opportunity to serve as editors for Waggoner and being a part of his team. His desire is to carry on the important and helpful information for boaters of the Pacific Northwest. We would also like to thank fellow boaters who have been so supportive and helpful by providing suggestions, submitting information, and showing their appreciation for the Waggoner Guide. We extend a big thank you to all the volunteer field correspondents for helping us cover the range of extensive cruising areas to gather updates for each edition of the Waggoner Guide.
