A case for the sailing YouTuber

[Wingfoot]

Don't get this obsession with not having a real job. Never thought it a lofty goal to be a wage slave--in fact have spent 60 some years trying everything possible not to have a job (limited success). If you're young and can do it just do it and ignore the bitterness of those who spent their youth chained to some puritanical work ethic. Queer is cool, bikinis are cool, youtube is kinda of cool sometimes...live and let live. Unfortunate there is so much vitriol here because some didn't work in a coal mine to earn their right to cruise. Sheesh.

[er9]

Originally Posted by Singularity

Pfff. Boys.

Great informative video on, um, bowsprit repair. Talk about an outfit on a woman to get the electricity flowing!

https://youtu.be/qF4OGZoiZ0w

great video's interesting couple. i thought she looked kinda hot in that welding gear.

[Nils Gruttner]

Hi Breena,

Excellent post. Thank you for standing up for your dream, passion and believes. Don't let grumpy old men who struggle with technology beyond "horse and cart" discourage you from following your dream of sailing.

Times have changed, technology has changed, people and their believes, their values and their outlook on life has changed. But some just struggle to keep up. Even more... they hate change.

Change has always been positive and negative. Point is, you can't have one without the other. Same as you can't have the world's oceans to yourself and claim that your way is the only way to cruise.

Thankfully we live in a world of choices (at least some of us have them and I feel for those who don't, but that's another story). Your choice to go cruising on a monohull or a cat, your choice to go full time or part time, your choice how you support yourself whilst doing it and your choice to follow, unfollow, ignore or watch whatever you want and whenever you want to.

Just don't criticise others for doing it their way if it isn't your way... As long as we all respect each other and the environment around us, there is room for all.

Thank you free world.

[Sojourner]

Thanks also for the others support (you know who you are).... It isn't about trying to be cool or showing my 'lifestyle' is better than yours. It's about marketing, plain and simple. (Oh, I do have an MBA as well....if anyone wants to see a scan of the diploma...?) We can afford (barely, but doably) to sail without any support from anyone. But this is how we live, and have for a long time, and it just so happens that it ticks a few boxes for advertisers trying to be a little more inclusive/edgy, or people who are just bored with the normal sailing couples which have totally saturated the market. So I'd be a damn fool not to highlight the things we've found people are interested in above and beyond the baseline, which of course is sailing a boat to beautiful locations. On the way, we're going to learn to be much better sailors, and try to pass that on to our viewers. We're going to try to support local cultural projects (I've backpacked and motorcycled to 90 or so countries so far (um, passport scans for the interested?), and I still maintain ties with a few I found there). We're talking with some folks running ocean cleanup projects since the eclipse we're targeting is in the epicenter of the south pacific garbage patch (sampling the water column over our course seems to be the best way to lend a hand at the moment) Erzsebet is going to write another book, and I might come out of retirement as regards that as well.... In short, we're not as vapid as we make ourselves out to be sometimes, but with the sailing video market so saturated, you gotta be unique, you gotta be funny, you gotta be something a little different. We're already there without trying too much, so we'll give it a go, anyway, and if it doesn't take off, who cares? We'll still be that same young queer committed polyfamily with no kids and three kittens on a big sailboat drifting around the tropics somewhere. Ain't no one gotta cry for me if we fail

[SV THIRD DAY]

I'm not sure you're reading the mood of people correctly. I don't think the cruising Community has a problem with YouTube sailors. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the loud people that post negative comments on a chat room Forum are indicative of the cruising community. Because I can tell you if the internet chat room Community was a judge of what boats could be out cruising more than half the boats I see out here actively cruising would be said to be impossible.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

I'm not sure you're reading the mood of people correctly. I don't think the cruising Community has a problem with YouTube sailors. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the loud people that post negative comments on a chat room Forum are indicative of the cruising community. Because I can tell you if the internet chat room Community was a judge of what boats could be out cruising more than half the boats I see out here actively cruising would be said to be impossible.

You made my day Rich. As a moderator for the best sailing forum on the net, (yes I do believe it) I am one of the team that gets inspired and defeated in equal measure by the scratchings of the membership. Such is life.

I see YouTube as an extension of chatboards using the visual medium instead of the written word. I use YouTube myself to post medical instructional videos for my students and colleagues in a private account.

YouTube is or should be self selective. Now anyone who goes to the trouble of making a video is either doing it for personal/family reasons, or reaching out to a wider audience and gets to the point where they have to invest in equipment and software.......... and be prepared to edit. My vids are mainly 11 minutes and take about 5 hours to put together.

If I dont like a video or a style of presentation by others.... guess what? I can switch it off. Yaaay.

We all like what we like and for that reason the choice is good. I usually like something for a while then as the producers of the show find their feet and lean towards a political stance or more flesh or this or that.... I say thank you for what I watched and move on....

Good luck to all YouTubers... the market will level you out as it does with everything.. and I have the Remote in my hand.

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by Sojourner

Hey there, thanks for the help!

You're very welcome, and thanks for the prompt reply. Hmmm. "Goat trees". I've never actually thought about that before today. Interesting. As for the other work, I won't be needing that dictionary for my profession. Thanks anyway.

Speaking of Florence, my sister, a tenured US university professor, lives there for six-month stretches when she's sometimes on sabbatical writing her art history books (Oxford Univ. Press). How did you sail up the river from Marina di Pisa? It appears to be ... hmmmm, how do I say? ... impossible. Am I correct?

Ciao

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by rabbi

Why? I couldn't care less about this in a sailing channel.

Especially when folks mention in every other post that they are gay / queer / cat-lovers.
I just get bored of the "hey, we are so special you just have to watch us".

You’re not the target audience. I’m sure that minority groups appreciate content that they can identify with.

Do you complain about Spanish language radio stations? Ebony magazine. I doubt it.

Sort of ironic given your CF handle.

[Bob Morane]

Damn, reading this thread made me realize that I will probably bump into some decently sized egos when I get out there.
And a few cases of "not in MY backyard !".
Not that it's gonna stop me anyway

Regarding Youtube Channels / Patreons, unless they are breaking the law, the way they finance themselves is none of your business. Stop shoving your puritanism and "work ethics" in everybody's face. If viewers are happy to pay for content, youtubers were right to do it.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by Bob Morane

Damn, reading this thread made me realize that I will probably bump into some decently sized egos when I get out there.
And a few cases of "not in MY backyard !".
Not that it's gonna stop me anyway

Those with the decently sized egos will most likely be the YT folks. The non YT folks tend to keep a lower profile.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by Suijin

You’re not the target audience. I’m sure that minority groups appreciate content that they can identify with.

Do you complain about Spanish language radio stations? Ebony magazine. I doubt it.

Sort of ironic given your CF handle.

First, I don't complain about the content. Queer spanish ebony sailing channel, I don't care. I'm bored straight so I'm not their target audience, which is fine. If they have a sizeable target audience, good for them.


I said:

I just get bored of the "hey, we are so special you just have to watch us".

Folks who use every other post (on CF and elsewhere) to market their oh-so-special YT channel or blog. Its this advertising shoved into my face that I don't like.


My CF nick is just an acronym and has no meaning.

[jmh2002]

I'm not going to quote anyone here, so as not to ruffle more feathers, but it is really quite simple for me:

- if I enjoy watching the channel, I will watch it.

I try not too get to caught up in people's different views, outlooks, culture, orientations, etc, unless it is so much that it causes me to no longer enjoy watching the channel (over a period of time, rather than as a one off).

The content still needs to be good/interesting/entertaining/etc regardless.

And also, isn't much of the idea of cruising somewhat in order to get away from the various types of judgment and even maybe oppression in its various sorts?

Live and let live please.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

This is slightly off topic, but here's another reason why I have started to put my own videos on YouTube.

I have watched home movies evolve from the 8mm projector to the camcorcorders through mini-discs and now by phones on to the internet.

I have taken all my childhood super8 movies and had them transferred to DVD's. But I have lost some of the ones on tapes of various kinds simply from not getting it done in a timely manner.

I see the Internet and YouTube in particular as a way to store memories for my kids and grandkids to see one day.

The don't have to be Public, you can make them for just friends and family. But it's definitely something to consider.

It's a great platform for this and also to share with close friends. How else are you going to send them a 15 minute video to watch on their computer or TV? I'm on Youtube probably 1 hour everyday researching things. Last night it was long range hunting rifles. Today it's on the Galicia region of Spain. I bought a new Mavic Air drone and have watched probably 10 hours of how to videos on operating it. Priceless because it's free.

[jlcnuke]

HI!.

I'm the part of the target audience for many of the sailing Vlogs out there.. white, single, male, with dreams of sailing/traveling but still stuck grinding out the 9-5 until I can afford to go.

Well, actually, I *could* go, but I'm not into the "go small, go now" thing as I have a level of comfort I'd like to have when I do go, so buying a boat and taking off in it is still ~5-7 years away right now.

So, why do I watch the channels I do? Quite simply, they entertain me. I get to see what I hope to be doing (sailing, diving, snorkeling, visiting other cultures, etc etc). I get to "live vicariously" through their adventures. Sometimes I get to learn stuff, sometimes I just see cool places, etc.

On to the "T&A" subject - sure, it's much nicer to watch a beautiful woman with a nice voice tell me about the island they're visiting than it would be to get the same thing from Roseanne Barr. I see nothing wrong with that. Honestly though, I never considered that the "T&A" was much more than "that's what they wear there". When I go on my vacations to tropical islands, most of the people I encounter near the water are wearing the same types of clothes typically seen on the sailing channels. The liveaboard dive trip I did didn't have women covering themselves up outside of putting on a wetsuit to dive in.

What's left... oh yeah, making money from their videos. I am a Patron of one sailing Vlog because I feel the entertainment and information they've provided me in the past and continue to provide is worth my support. I won't pledge large amounts, but a small amount that shows my appreciation and helps them to continue putting out the entertainment for me isn't going to adversely affect my finances. They're working to make these videos and if people like myself don't pay for it, they'll stop and all of us stuck dreaming about cruising will lose that entertainment resource. I think a large number of the smaller/less well known Vlogs will quit making their videos as they fail to get enough people supporting them to make it worth their time and effort.

Most can afford, in some way or another, to cruise with or without revenue from their videos from what I've seen. So while they may "ask" for viewers to support them on Patreon etc, I don't see them as "beggars" so much as the modern equivalent of the old "freeware" software writers, who made software, gave it away for free, and offered a bit more if you were willing to pay for their product as well.

That said, I do find the ones that make it overly obvious that they're holding stuff back unless you pay (such as Sailing Miss Lonestar) or that incessantly bring up their youtube channel/patreon account everywhere they can quite annoying and will avoid watching or supporting them at all.

[valhalla360]

If you are openly doing it as a commercial enterprise, no issue with it. I may or may not participate by watching your videos but I respect your choice.

Where I object is the people who do little more than beg and imply they "need" help when 99% of their issues are traced back to their own choices that could easily be seen as poor choices well in advance. GoFundMe is the poster child for this type of behavior more so than youtube. These people I have little respect for.

As with most things, it's not always black and white but there are a lot of people at the extreme ends of the spectrum.