Feb YM

[cagey]

What a pile of crap.
Don't get involved in the monthly slagging match about how poor YM et al have become, but Febs issue is banal.
It feels as if all the contributors are on autopilot to their bank account and that their efforts are only because of contractual obligation and at best just phoned in.
As for the self promoting trip young v old how did an experienced outfit get hoodwinked into such a publicity stunt for a thrusting wanabee.
Good luck to her in her chosen direction. I just do not want to spend good money reading about her CV and Virtual life.
Can we please go back to an informative sailing magazine and not a cheap and easy PR release exercise.
These clutch of mags really are imploding in content at a frightening speed and the goodwill of your hardcore customers will I suspect leave if the content remains this bad.
In my opinion it would be foolish to think a new generation of sailors will replace us loyal readers as they are likely to use the internet as a source of info.
In a nutshell go back to being a sailing mag rather than PR flyer

 

[JohnP]

I agree. I read some articles and skimmed through the rest as they had little interest. I will probably only read it in more detail if nothing else to do. I know I have been buying YM and PBO for 30 years and articles are inevitably recycled but YM is getting much worse.

 

[Sniper]

I agree about the 'teenage' article. OK, so she's an unusual young woman but she falls into the common trap of young people in forgetting that all of us have been teenagers (except for those who have't got there yet!) so we know what its like. Big deal - she dropped out of school. Is that a good message to be sending out to her contemporaries? At the risk of being a complete curmudgeon, I'm firmly rooted in the belief that children should be seen and not heard until they've got something worth saying. Certainly, I'm not interested in reading a teenagers perspective on sailing in YM; if I want that, I'll ask my nephews and nieces next time I take them afloat.

 

[graham]

I think its great that we are getting youngsters feedback through the magazine.

yachting needs some new blood coming through to replace the boring old knowitalls we have been reading about for years.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Hey, I love young women. As often as I can.

 

[ChrisE]

You dirty, dirty, old man

 

[footsoldier]

cagey

I agree totally with your sentiments. There was a time when I really looked forward to the next issue of YM. It was well-written, packed with content, highly informative and the enthusiasm and knowledge of the contributors shone through. It was the voice of a community.

Over time it deteriorated markedly, for all the reasons you mention. Around a year ago I realised that, rather than eager anticipation, it had become a chore to even bother to collect it from the newsagents and that, rather than avidly devouring it, often I only flipped through it when I had nothing else to do.

As a result I cancelled my order. It still irks, though, and I miss the old-style YM. I wish they would resurrect it to the old standard.

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[Twister_Ken]

Hadn't thought of darts. Mine's hanging on a hook beside the loo.

 

[TiggerToo]

[ QUOTE ]
Hadn't thought of darts. Mine's hanging on a hook beside the loo.

[/ QUOTE ]

are Twisters really as bad as that when reversing?

 

[ChrisE]

Entirely agree, grumpy old gits need all of the publicity they can get.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Can be. The day of the test was unusually windy, which meant the wind was really in control. On lighter days, I can generally get it to go roughly in the direction I want, but using a different technique than the blessed St Tom. I use less throttle, and as soon as the stern really starts to kick, I knock it back into tickover, which gives the rudder a chance to assert itself, then build up the revs again until it starts to swerve, back to tickover, etc.

But unless you're stuffed - say in a narrow blind alley in a marina - there's really no need for accurate reverse. I can walk the boat out of a marina berth, pushing the shrouds from the pontoon. When I get aboard, I'll select reverse and she'll pretty much swivel, more or less on the spot, until the bows are pointing in a direction that allows me to go ahead when she'll turn in about a boat length and a half. Hey presto, I'm out. Or, if wind or tide make things tricky, I can motor astern against a spring and spin her the way I want without hassle. Or unroll a smidge of headsail, sheet it in hard, and let the wind blow the bow around. More than one way to skin a thoroughbred!

 

[snooks]

[ QUOTE ]
Hadn't thought of darts. Mine's hanging on a hook beside the loo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lets hope you get some toilet roll before you get to page 35!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[PhilipH]

I think I agree, but is it just that the longer you sail, the more you know and if you're not in the market for a boat then the reviews are less interesting.

Anyways I'm cancelling my subscription as well as the one to Yachting World. Mind you, imminent retirement is causing some zero-based budgeting in the household!

/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[snooks]

You must be reading a different magazine than the one I have in front of me....

I can't remember the last time we featured a couple who sail from the Arctic to Antarctic with great photos to show for it (6 pages, and the opening spread) There's a great learning curve about carrying a drogue. An interesting review of Comms used in the ARC. A bit of humour about french showers. The First UK review of Moody 41 Classic. A second look on a Vancouver 32. A gear test on the offshore oilies, including a set of breathables for less than £70. Cruising the west coast of Wales. A med Charter to get you out of the gloom January weather and that's on top of all our regular stuff

Anyone reading this thread might thing there's only one article in the mag. OK so you don't like one article, we can't satisfy everyone with every article, but we try our best.

I was having a look though a 1975 issue the other day, the text was small, smaller than todays print, a 4 page cruising feature had a 1/2 page B/W photo and 3.5 pages of solid text! Thankfully YM has moved on from the "old style YM"

YM's sales figures are improving year on year, which is more than can be said for a lot of sailing magazines out there, so we're doing something right

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]

I was having a look though a 1975 issue the other day, the text was small, smaller than todays print, a 4 page cruising feature had a 1/2 page B/W photo and 3.5 pages of solid text! Thankfully YM has moved on from the "old style YM"


[/ QUOTE ]

Thankfully /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Heavens forbid content should get in the way of some pictures and adverts /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Catering for the illiterate market?

I did buy YM for the articles - if I want to look at pictures I buy Playboy /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[snooks]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I was having a look though a 1975 issue the other day, the text was small, smaller than todays print, a 4 page cruising feature had a 1/2 page B/W photo and 3.5 pages of solid text! Thankfully YM has moved on from the "old style YM"


[/ QUOTE ]

Thankfully /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Do you really believe there is a market for a text heavy monthly magazine with black and white contrasty grainy images?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I'm glad you're not on our editorial team, we'd all be out of a job cos out circulation would be about 2,000...

There's more to a magazine than words...Spoken like a true photographer /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I do believe there is a market for a text heavy magazine with good quality colour pictures though....

One that goes into proper detail, rather than repeated 'how to cruise somewhere else' articles, or 'which frying pan is best for cooking bacon on a Thursday morning' trivia....

Its been discussed on here many times.... a sailing magazine for sailors... for me YM feels more like a magazine aimed at wanabee boat owners rather than actual boat owners nowadays...

 

[snooks]

[ QUOTE ]
.... a sailing magazine for sailors...

[/ QUOTE ]

With the exception of our art editor (who will be sailing by the end of the month) EVERY member of our editorial team is passionate about sailing, Paul owns a yacht, Dick owns a yacht, Kieran owns a yacht, Jane our editorial assistant owns a yacht, I'm looking at buying a boat (technically I am a boat owner, as I have three, all a metre long and radio controlled). Chris has sailed on many boats, crewed on Velsheada, a few transats, a round Britian and Ireland race, a fastnet race or two, numerous charters do I need to go on?

We are sailors (50% of our full time editorial staff own boats, show me another sailing magazine with 50% or more), and we work hard to put together. A magazine that we would like to read and buy. We've all had to unblock the heads, we've all had to antifoul in the middle of winter, we go though the same problem, dilemmas, and get cold and wet like everyone else. We're not a bunch of desk jockeys who never go out on the water, I was sailing last weekend for example.

We're not PBO, we're in different offices, and we do cater for different markets. If you want to make a saloon table out of an ironing board then that's what PBO can offer (I joke not, it really has been in there),

If you want to sail somewhere and eat a meal on your solid wood table then YM is the mag for you

If you want to dream of owning a big yacht with a walnut veneer table and crystal glass inlay the YW is more your sail bag

One thing is for certain though, YM is written by sailors for sailors

 

[TiggerToo]

[ QUOTE ]
I did buy YM for the articles - if I want to look at pictures I buy Playboy /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe that should be PlayBuoy?

Why not ask Lakesailor to do a high quality photoshoot of Sam? Get it as a centrefold and I am sure you will not have too many complaining here /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

... oh and one of the first Frenc guys ... winning the Vendee ... and without too much kit on, just for the balance and to please Goosewing, Carol, Pauline, PowerSkip, May etc...

/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif