The top 20 liveaboard sailing blogs

[frozenhawaiian]

Originally Posted by MacGregor518

I'm surprised S/V Delos didn't make the list.

same here, I know they're better known for their vlogs, which are excellent but they also have a text blog which is very well written and also much more up to date, by the time the vlogs get posted the footage/adventures are months in the past.

[Livia]

I thought it was a fun list. Everyone would choose a different top 20 I suppose but I enjoyed peeking through to see the blogs I hadn't seen before.

[Pelagic]

I honestly don't see the point of reading blogs.....Generally Personal, Subjective, self serving , often rambling and rarely challenged on accuracy.

While I would read a family or close friends blog.... I feel my time is better spent reading the sailing forums to qualify and test for some specific solutions.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I honestly don't see the point of reading blogs.....Generally Personal, Subjective, self serving , often rambling and rarely challenged on accuracy.

While I would read a family or close friends blog.... I feel my time is better spent reading the sailing forums to qualify and test for some specific solutions.

I think you are confused regarding the purpose of blogs. While technical subjects may come up, they are not akin to a technical manual. They are probably more akin to a biographical novel.

[Nostrodamus]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I honestly don't see the point of reading blogs.....Generally Personal, Subjective, self serving , often rambling and rarely challenged on accuracy.

While I would read a family or close friends blog.... I feel my time is better spent reading the sailing forums to qualify and test for some specific solutions.

I think with a lot of sailing blogs you may be right but often these are written as a record or for the family.
There are those blogs, some of which are on this list that dare to be different and give a different perspective on life aboard. The photographs and writings are first class. As good as or better than some sailing books or manuals.

Forums are different. You are speaking to non, part time, retired and avid sailors who are often in the comfort of their own home. Not that many are or have lived aboard full time for extended periods so their google answers may be different to the real world.
Yes, go to the forum if you want to ask a question and get a hundred different answers but blogs are not about answers. They are about showing.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

They are probably more akin to a biographical novel.

Like I said....Generally Personal, Subjective, self serving , often rambling and rarely challenged on accuracy..

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Like I said....Generally Personal, Subjective, self serving , often rambling and rarely challenged on accuracy..

Sure but why would you go to the biography section of the library if you are looking for how to change out a water pump? Seems like you are seeking dissapointment.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I honestly don't see the point of reading blogs.....Generally Personal, Subjective, self serving , often rambling and rarely challenged on accuracy.

All I can say is that after 8 years of sailing and with plans to stop working and start cruising full time next year that my wife has recently started reading a couple and now is finally getting jazzed up to do it. While I read few blogs I can say that they make cruising sound like a lot more fun than forums do. Blogs seem to cover cruising life from the happy end and forums definitely seem to spend more time on "problems".

(except for Bill Dietrich's blog on Magnolia that never makes me what to be a cruiser )

[Hudson Force]

I can see Pelagic's point. I have nothing against blogs, but they don't serve any purpose for me. They are a "family album" and great to share with family and friends, but not much for the general public. I've yet to find one that can hold my attention past a brief look at the first page. Maybe they would be of interest to those that aspire to cruise, but if you spend your life cruising, then these are just friendly strangers that happen to be your neighbors just like anyone else in the grocery store.

Hmm..... 'didn't mean that to sound cynical. I enjoy my cruising friends,- I'm just not interested in their diaries.

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

All I can say is that after 8 years of sailing and with plans to stop working and start cruising full time next year that my wife has recently started reading a couple and now is finally getting jazzed up to do it. While I read few blogs I can say that they make cruising sound like a lot more fun than forums do. Blogs seem to cover cruising life from the happy end and forums definitely seem to spend more time on "problems".

(except for Bill Dietrich's blog on Magnolia that never makes me what to be a cruiser )

Interesting perspective. My blog is mostly about the projects, with an occasional mention of the things that make it all the work worthwhile. That will obviously change, as we finish up the projects that are keeping us from cruising right now and spend more time playing.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I can see Pelagic's point. I have nothing against blogs, but they don't serve any purpose for me. They are a "family album" and great to share with family and friends, but not much for the general public. I've yet to find one that can hold my attention past a brief look at the first page. Maybe they would be of interest to those that aspire to cruise, but if you spend your life cruising, then these are just friendly strangers that happen to be your neighbors just like anyone else in the grocery store.

Hmm..... 'didn't mean that to sound cynical. I enjoy my cruising friends,- I'm just not interested in their diaries.

I think that's where the difference of opinion is coming from. Blogs like SV Totem's have thousands of devoted fans hanging on their every word (like me). But their fans aren't out cruising. We're all sitting in our 9 to 5 wishing we were cruising and making big plans.

These blogs offer inspiration and a window into what the life is like. If you're already living the cruising life, I don't see that they would be that interesting.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I can see Pelagic's point. I have nothing against blogs, but they don't serve any purpose for me. They are a "family album" and great to share with family and friends, but not much for the general public. I've yet to find one that can hold my attention past a brief look at the first page. Maybe they would be of interest to those that aspire to cruise, but if you spend your life cruising, then these are just friendly strangers that happen to be your neighbors just like anyone else in the grocery store.

Hmm..... 'didn't mean that to sound cynical. I enjoy my cruising friends,- I'm just not interested in their diaries.

If you do the ICW snowbird thing year after year (and absolutely nothing wrong with that), I could see where blogs about doing the ICW wouldn't be of much interest as you've been there already and it's only little bits and pieces that are new.

On the other hand, I tend to gravitate towards blogs about our future travel plans.

Even so, not all blogs are created equal. Some are poorly written or updated infrequently. Others cover subjects that aren't of interest. Blanket statements that blogs are good or bad need to take into account the quality of the blog.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

................
................. Blanket statements that blogs are good or bad need to take into account the quality of the blog.

'good point. I believe that there might also be a threshold that needs to be met in order for someone to gain interest in a particular blog. Maybe like a continuing television series where it takes some repeated attention before you get "hooked".

[Nostrodamus]

We have been living aboard and cruising for the last 5 years and I still read others blogs. Some are amusing, some technical and some about places we want to visit.
We do a blog but I cannot remember the last time I wrote about a place we actually visited. I just try to be a little different. For some they enjoy it whilst others hate it but we do get over a quarter of a million views a year.

[SailingTerrapin]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I can see Pelagic's point. I have nothing against blogs, but they don't serve any purpose for me. They are a "family album" and great to share with family and friends, but not much for the general public. I've yet to find one that can hold my attention past a brief look at the first page. Maybe they would be of interest to those that aspire to cruise, but if you spend your life cruising, then these are just friendly strangers that happen to be your neighbors just like anyone else in the grocery store.

Hmm..... 'didn't mean that to sound cynical. I enjoy my cruising friends,- I'm just not interested in their diaries.

Unless you're planning on setting sail with kids. For us, adding kids to the equation changed everything. We checked out other family blogs for a few years before setting sail. There's so much more to think about with kids in tow.

I still laugh at the blogs of 20 somethings, who bought a boat to set sail become so famous. Whoopie Do...try setting sail with pre-teen girls then lets talk. I'd love to fill the boat with booze instead of school books!