Video Blogs - which do you watch and why?

Oct 15, 2019
9
Columbia C-24 Wilmington, CA
I just discovered Christian Williams (Why We Sail), very relaxing! And as a guilty pleasure, I'm still subscribed to Abandon Comfort, if only to read the comments!
 
Apr 5, 2018
95
Catalina Capri 25 Jackson
I might have mentioned Kevin Boothby before.
How to sail Oceans. Engineless serious sailing.

Also Sam Holmes Sailing . Has just finished a pretty extensive cruise of the East coast of the U.S. A lot of serious night sailing. Along with a great attitude.

Roger Barnes. Small boat cruising on the rivers and coast of Brittany.

Gary
sam is the ******* man. truly the best attitude anyone could have, incredibly independent and resourceful, about as minimalist as you can get while still doing everything "right". if theres anyone of these youtube vloggers id buy a beer for or buy a shirt from, its him.
 
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CarlN

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Jan 4, 2009
603
Ketch 55 Bristol, RI
I got bored of most of the "we bought a boat and went sailing" ones. My two current favorites are:

Expedition Evans: A couple buys a boat with the keel falling off and fixes it - doing a really tough job really well while somehow staying both enthusiastic and married.

SV Panope - An amazingly determined guy sets out to settle - once and for all - "what is the best anchor"?
 

DArcy

.
Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Gladly no one mentioned the "Doodle Channel"!
I did watch for a while. One good thing I got out of the doodles was Taylor, who has her own channel Taylor's Travels. 21 years old, she just bought a 38 foot boat on her own and headed down the ICW from New York in the late fall. She is still a little green but very keen and seems to be really enjoying the sailing life.
The only other sailing channel I watch regularly is SV Delos. They have great production quality and used to have really good sailing and travel videos.
 
Mar 30, 2014
37
Catalina 22 Indiana
One more to check out... Sailing Avocet... an easy going young couple with a fun sense of humor, who have posted a number of interesting resto projects on a 1979 Cheoy Lee 41.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
We get a lot of entertainment out of Youtube. But truth is, I'm turned off by the soft porn thumbs of the sailing Youtubers. It tells me instantly: This is junk and has no sailing content. I shudder to think, young people interested in cruising under sail go to Youtube for their How-To. These plonkers are the teachers.

You learn quickly to stay away from this clickbait unless you want to be inundated with junk from the Youtube algorithm.

I've found a few sources of sailing content that are well done but they're not prolific, so you have to wait until they pop up.
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
well good morning tom. i had to look up a couple of your words, ;)
i too enjoy videos about sailing. hiking and snorkeling are not my thing to watch. just me. i enjoy this couple and their videos. this particular one is about a run i have made a few times myself. i like that they sail. they get lots of sail in the air. the are skilled. they have a sweet vessel. enjoy, jon

 
Oct 26, 2008
6,045
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
well good morning tom. i had to look up a couple of your words, ;)
i too enjoy videos about sailing. hiking and snorkeling are not my thing to watch. just me. i enjoy this couple and their videos. this particular one is about a run i have made a few times myself. i like that they sail. they get lots of sail in the air. the are skilled. they have a sweet vessel. enjoy, jon
I agree, Glen and Oana are really great! They both crack me up. I like the way Glen does an overview of their destinations before actually showing the content. I guess I like his organization and production quality and he goes into lot of great detail on certain topics, which I like. Most of the others try to make their content look like it is more spontaneous, even though we know it is not. They (Glen & Oana) don't do a lot of athletic stuff, though. They are pretty much tied down to showing the sites and occasionally getting on a bike. Sue and I really do enjoy the bloggers whom are more active. We most like to see the activities and places that sailing leads them to ... more so than the sailing itself. It's what we like most about sailing. The sailing itself is one thing, but it's not the only thing! I could never watch endless loops of sailboats doing nothing but sailing and Sue would never sit still for it either (she would tell me to call her when they get somewhere :cool:)

I liken it to baseball. There was a time in my life when I loved playing baseball above all other things. It absolutely dominated my world for a time. Funny thing is, I have no need to watch baseball. I do follow my team, but there is no real need to watch the professionals, no matter how good they are. I do absolutely love watching a little league game when I have a close relationship to the players (kids and relatives, obviously). It's all about the relationships and that's what keeps Sue interested as well. She connects. Riley is click bait to her. She can't get enough of his laugh, for instance. Sometimes it is the littlest thing that attracts her. She connected with Ran, for instance, simply because she loved Malin's red dress in the first episode she saw. It made her want to get to know them - they spent the whole summer in Sweden and Sue was thrilled to see the character of the landscape. I can't explain it ... it's just the way it is with her! :what::what:
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,045
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I think the key to success for these vloggers is really personal. The ones that seem to open up emotionally and really give you an open view into their experiences are the ones we like to watch. I'd say that is what makes SLV, Delos, Ran, Cloudy Bay and others interesting to us. There are some that I won't name that just aren't so likeable to us. I don't think it is appropriate to tick off the ones that you don't like because they may be connecting to others for reasons that I'm just not seeing. I'll also admit that there can be a certain amount of soft porn that many of these vloggers inject just to get views. It is a very competitive environment out there and they are all working hard to a product for which there is a market. If they aren't working hard, they seem to disappear. Who am I to be judgmental about the techniques that people need to employee in order to survive in a competitive field? When it is objectionable, I can turn it off at any time I like :cool:.

There are some really great suggestions in these posts! More to explore but limited time ... :biggrin:
 
Apr 3, 2020
191
Hunter 23.5 Frenchtown, MT
I used to watch several (actually surprised Zatara has only been mentioned twice so far). But, I have to agree with others about YT and the ads. Late December I decided I was tired of clicking 'skip ad' every minute or so and canceled all subscriptions, closed my account and haven't looked back. I did send a few of them emails asking to post their content on Rumble, but so far the Z-crew are the only ones who've done so. I like them because they are entertaining, and Keith reminds me a bit of myself.

So far, the only yt channel that I really miss watching is Essential Craftsman.
 
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May 12, 2019
4
Catalina 25 Lake Oahe
There’s a blog out there of a guy sailing and cruising on an IOR style older monohull named Lady K. Lots of good info, not too technical but covers his journey from Canada to the Bahamas. They come across as genuine and sincere and the guy Tim seems to know his stuff. Definitely inspired and re-energized me when I was ready to throw in the towel. No affiliation, just wanted to throw a plug out for the guy.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,045
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I used to watch several (actually surprised Zatara has only been mentioned twice so far). But, I have to agree with others about YT and the ads. Late December I decided I was tired of clicking 'skip ad' every minute or so and canceled all subscriptions, closed my account and haven't looked back.
I hear you, the ads really are getting intrusive and if unchecked, they will chase people away. I always keep in mind that if you want content to watch, it has to be paid for somehow. There has to be a balance, though.
 
Oct 15, 2019
9
Columbia C-24 Wilmington, CA
I used to watch several (actually surprised Zatara has only been mentioned twice so far). But, I have to agree with others about YT and the ads. Late December I decided I was tired of clicking 'skip ad' every minute or so and canceled all subscriptions, closed my account and haven't looked back. I did send a few of them emails asking to post their content on Rumble, but so far the Z-crew are the only ones who've done so. I like them because they are entertaining, and Keith reminds me a bit of myself.

So far, the only yt channel that I really miss watching is Essential Craftsman.
I watch Youtube on my computer connected to my tv. I use Adblock in this configuration, I've never seen a Youtube ad!
adblock.PNG
 
Apr 3, 2020
191
Hunter 23.5 Frenchtown, MT
Sean, thanks for posting that. I just put the add-on in my Firefox and whaddya know...no ads! I've tried a few others and they never seemed to work very well. This one did a good job on a 20 minute Essential Craftsman video.
 
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Nov 25, 2018
36
Oday 28 Wiscasset, ME
I like to watch the in the winter. I liked the old school channels, not all the thumbnail click bait (“We ALMOST SUNK! While NAKED!“ or “We’re Selling the BOAT! While NAKED!”)

Wicked Salty got me hooked, basic amateur, not glitz. The episode where he paddles out to his new boat on an inner tube because he doesn’t have a dinghy is funny. They are off the water now. White Spot Pirates was like that, I don’t watch it now, she is just living in poverty on a dying boat.

Erik Aanderaa is the best. His recent North Sea cruise was tremendous.

A current “old school“ channel I like is
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
I have to agree with others about YT and the ads. Late December I decided I was tired of clicking 'skip ad' every minute or so and canceled all subscriptions, closed my account and haven't looked back
There are alternative apps for android phones that block ads. I havent seen a youtube ad in years. TV, phone or laptop.