From the editor
After reading the article this month about the new breed of sailing media stars, the vloggers (who knew that was even a word?), I was moved to do some online research into this growing phenomenon. Talk about an eyeopener! Accustomed as I am to sharing docks and anchorages with other middle-aged sailors of varying crustiness, I was drawn into a new world populated solely by good-looking people in their twenties and thirties. It seems all you need is a GoPro, a bikini (and/or Speedo) body, a functioning boat and a YouTube channel, and you can open a Patreon account and watch the dollars flow in as armchair adventurers live their sailing dreams through your voyages.
What, I wondered, if people more representative of the current cruising demographic were to clamber creakily aboard this gravy train? Perhaps there could be episodes on dealing with saltwater rash, hangnails, muscle strain and sunburnt scalps, the overriding importance of finding the closest slip to the shower block, how to sail exclusively off the wind, and planning your cruise around medical issues. Film a couple of greybeards getting in and out of a dinghy in a rolly anchorage and watch it go viral.
Somehow, I don’t think such a channel—let’s call it “Sailing Ouch My Back”—would have the same kind of draw. ER candy can never match eye candy, which comes as much from the settings as the protagonists in these video logs. Perhaps it’s best to leave this new medium to those who invented it.
I’m actually all in favor of sailing vlogs, at least those that communicate a sense of joy and wonder at the sailing life and all it can offer up. Some of them are extremely well filmed and produced, and who could begrudge their personable and engaging makers earning some money from their efforts? If they lure new people into cruising under sail, and can make a few bucks to
support their own lifestyle, more power to them. It’s just a shame there’s no demand for “Geezers on Board.”
If you’re thinking about becoming a vlogger, you’ll need a journey to chronicle, and there’s no better way to do that than to attend our Sailing South seminar in Annapolis, MD on October 8. Our star-studded list of speakers includes Jimmy Cornell, the father of the cruising rally and the author of World Cruising Routes, systems expert Nigel Calder, Distant Shores TV series hosts and experienced cruisers Paul and Sheryl Shard, seasoned ICW voyager Tom Hale, and marine communications expert Dave Skolnick.
Together, they’ll give you a detailed look at what to expect if you are thinking of sailing to Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and beyond, and how to prepare your boat for the voyage of a lifetime. Breakfast and lunch are included, too. Spaces are limited, so sign up at sailmagazine.com/ sailingsouth. See you there. s