In fact, the first issue of Maritime Journal appeared in its original tabloid format as recently as November 1987.

The subsequent building of an institution which now also encompasses a sister activity, the annual seawork exhibition in the Port of Southampton, has all happened over the last 17 years.

It has been an interesting voyage, in which many MJ readers have actively participated, that brings us to this commemorative 200th issue.

In the beginning there was Peter Moth, whose life at sea began as a deckhand on harbour tugs and workboats before joining the Merchant Navy as a Navigating Cadet. He subsequently served as a Mate on a variety of vessels before coming ashore as operations superintendent with a British dredging company.

It was in the latter role, where he had a recurring problem locating new and used parts for ships, that he had the idea for an 'Exchange & Mart' for the commercial shipping industry.

With global aspirations for his idea, he spent five months researching and compiling a database for what was initially conceived as a free distribution newspaper with a primarily classifieds format.

Working from an office in Havant on the UK south coast, he contacted Portsmouth Publishing and Printing in search of some help on the sales side. This led to the arrival of Ian Cardwell, who brought both sales and publishing experience. It was Moth's intention to call the new publication InMarAd (International Marine Advertiser).

Cardwell disagreed, suggested the alternative title of Maritime Journal , and designed the publication's first masthead.

With Peter Moth as founding editor, some 10,000 copies of the first issue were published and, in a now legendary Maritime Journal episode, Moth and Cardwell set off for Europort 1987 with 3,000 copies stuffed into the back of Moth's ageing Passat estate. Heading for the Harwich ferry, they got no farther than an Arundel roundabout before being stopped by police, who took exception to the skywards attitude of the vehicle's bow. Fortunately, they were allowed to continue after a redistribution of the load.

The title began to find its own balance with the early issues.

Although devised for classified advertising, display ads became more prominent. An early MJ stalwart, Leslie DiFonzo arrived as sales manager with Ian Cardwell shifting to credit controller.

Mercator Communications acquired the business effective with Issue 36 in April 1991.

The following month, operations moved to The Old Mill on Fareham Creek, where they remain. Another key figure during this era was desktop publishing wizard Rod Young, who carried the weight of production responsibilities from Issue 10 until his death in 1998.

His legacy lives on through his establishment of MJ 's digital archives. A key arrival during this 'middle period' was Tugs & Towage authority Jack Gaston, whose monthly input became a regular feature with Issue 71.

Many readers continue to turn to his pages first whenever a new issue arrives. It was also during this era that Maritime Journal became more pan-European in its focus and coverage.

1998 proved to be a significant year for MJ . The first seawork Exhibition and Conference was a major success in its unique working environment at the Port of Southampton.

seawork has grown significantly year on year every year since and is now firmly established as a 'must attend' event on the European maritime calendar. 1998 also saw Peter Moth leave Maritime Journal in October to pursue his consultancy work for the International Harbour Masters Association and continue publishing Maritime Contracts Journal (MCJ).

His deputy editor, Neal Anderson, made a smooth transition into the editor's chair.

The January 1999 issue saw the prolific David Foxwell's first monthly contribution as Marine Civils correspondent. Neal Anderson left in March 2001 and the present editor, Larz Bourne, came across after five years editing Dredging & Port Construction (DPC). In June of 2001, David Goodfellow, a founding member of the Hydropgraphic Society, joined MJ as Hydrographic Survey correspondent. The current editorial team was completed in April 2002 when Tom Todd, living back in Yorkshire after many years on the Continent, joined as European correspondent. The final, most indispensable player on the Maritime Journal team is long-serving graphics editor Ian Swain, who regularly performs miracles in delivering Maritime Journal 's final disc to the printers.

What of the Founding Fathers? Peter Moth continues to publish MCJ from his offices on Hayling Island and Ian Cardwell is still deeply involved with Maritime Journal asgeneral manager of Mercator Media.