Have Sailing Uma lost their way?

[Fr J Hackett]

Yup. And generating that content is a BIG job, regardless of the medium

Not only have you got to edit the video down, you have to produce the material in the first place which means filming everything, everywhere as far as possible (I do dislike channels that feature a talking head for a lot of the time telling you about what they've done but haven't filmed! It's excusable when filming would have been impossible or inappropriate but otherwise not)

And you've got to source, select and mix down background music, maybe produce graphics etc. etc. etc.

I have, as you might by now surmise, considered upgrading my currently moribund (thanks to Covid) but in the past fairly popular blog into a vlog and I'm far from certain I want to commit the level of time and effort needed. My understanding having spoken to one or two vloggers is that every single minute of uploaded content represents a mimimum of an hours solid work, often a lot more. At, if you want to be sucessful, a minimum of 20 minute vidoes ideally once a week, that's in excess of 20 hours a week, every week. Hmm!

I'm not convinced I can, or want to for that matter, generate that much content week in, week out, that would be at all interesting ... and I'm not the least bit bothered about making money from it if I decided to do it (not that I'd turn money away of course!)

Back in the dim and distant, as a semi-professional folk musician, I used to get quite annoyed with people objecting to paying £60 to £80 quid for a two plus hour gig with two musicians. Comments like "I don't get paid £40 an hour" went down like a lead balloon and were followed by a pointed pointing out that performing on stage for two hours plus involved getting ready for the gig (a good hour plus), travel (variable), loading in and setting up (an hour), striking down and loading out (about half an hour), travel home (variable) and unloading the van so that two hours was anything between six and eight hours.

Then deduct vehicle expenses (try insuring a vehicle for use by professional or semi-professional musicians! Not popular for some strange reason and in our day Admiral were the only mainstream insurer that would insure you, for a price), equipment insurance and replacement (in our case we had about £4k worth of instruments and £3k worth of PA gear if we took everything), the evil necessity of Public Liability Insurance etc. etc. etc.

The bottom line is that at our (all too brief) peak as performers, we were making a very modest "profit" and for many years it was really a self financing hobby, if that

Getting back on point, I do follow vlogs about sailing around the UK especially if the people and the boats concerned are "real". I start to lose interest when they set off into the sunset for the Med or the Crabibean or whatever and I also start to lose interest if they "sell out" and start getting expensive kit on the cheap or for nothing whilst still trying to claim they're sailing on a shoestring. I don't blame them, who wouldn't take advantage if the chance offered? But I do lose interest

And I've zero interest in the mainstream "sun, sand and bikini clad girls" content of the big bucks earners. Again, good luck to them but it doesn't pop my cork at all

Interesting what you say and I can understand it from a personal and producers point of view in receiving a remuneration for effort and work. However and you miss the point of the original question have Uma lost their way and importantly does banal content warrant reward or even watching and many of those "sailing" videos are pure dross.

 

[Bru]

Interesting what you say and I can understand it from a personal and producers point of view in receiving a remuneration for effort and work. However and you miss the point of the original question have Uma lost their way and importantly does banal content warrant reward or even watching and many of those "sailing" videos are pure dross.

That's cos I wasn't replying to the original point but to later developments in the conversation

Content merits reward if people want to watch it and are willing to pay. Simple as that. What is banal to you and me may be wildly exciting to somebody else

The exciting thing about YouTube, Patreon etc is that they provide a vehicle for content producers to reach a market whilst the market can pick and choose what content to support.

 

[steveeasy]

That's cos I wasn't replying to the original point but to later developments in the conversation

Content merits reward if people want to watch it and are willing to pay. Simple as that. What is banal to you and me may be wildly exciting to somebody else

The exciting thing about YouTube, Patreon etc is that they provide a vehicle for content producers to reach a market whilst the market can pick and choose what content to support.

From a different perspective id agree with the above. Id even agree with the patreon thingy. If it wasnt there, lots of the films would not be. Interesting.
Steveeasy

 

[wklein]

I feel like they have done some cool things with their boat and made some enjoyable videos on the way. But now they have fallen into the trap of thinking Uma is the only boat that could have done it safely and sensibly and are on a mission to make Uma available for everyone, using this study as a mandate.

 

[Stemar]

While the idea of financing a life as a wandering sailor on Youtube has some appeal - well, the life as a wandering sailor would, if I were 20 years younger, the filming and editing strikes me as seriously hard work, worse, work that requires know-how and talent. Good luck to those who do it, but I lack both, so my 9-5 had to pay for my sailing. If someone were to tell me about their plans to make a life out of it, I'd give the same advice I'd give them when they pointed to a rotten wooden boat and said we're going to knock that into shape and she'll take us round the world. "You're mad!"

 

[Motor_Sailor]

I think one of the problems with the films over the past year is that they haven't really been 'enjoying' themselves. Cold weather sailing is a bit niche and Kika for one liked the novelty of ice and snow, but it seemed to wear thin pretty quickly. They spent a lot of effort sailing northern Norway, Svarlbard and Iceland and I don't think they found it as 'rewarding' as they're hoped. For instance in Iceland, the things they wanted to see and experience weren't exclusively available to those who had sailed for months and several thousand miles. To experience them they had to join the crowds of package holiday punters. A larger scale version of when you've made it to St Kilda and a cruise ship turns up.

Ironically, the place where they could have found something remote and special, in Svarlbard was 'unavailable' to them as their electric drive system (plus cooking) is obviously a dead loss in high latitudes. In the tropics, reliable trade winds and constant sunshine make being 'off-grid' an option, but up in Norway and Iceland they were totally reliant on going from one electrical outlet to the next. They tried a little generator but the noise, fuel and fumes only made it really an emergency option. So under the often very persistent arctic high pressure, very light winds mean that much exploration of Svarlbard is done under engine. They just didn't have the range to go anywhere apart from the one inlet with the capital Longyear, the old mine at Pyramiden, a local glacier, and then made their excuses and left.

I know they have a very close relationship with Oceanvolt, but a bit more realism about how their 'electric boat' choices had dictated their route options would have been both more honest and useful. Harping on about being the first people to take an electric boat closest to the North Pole might play way with their subscriber base in the US mid west, but is about as realistic as Jeremy Clarkson claiming Top Gear drove pickup trucks to the North Pole. Technically true, but a long way from being the whole story.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I think one of the problems with the films over the past year is that they haven't really been 'enjoying' themselves. Cold weather sailing is a bit niche and Kika for one liked the novelty of ice and snow, but it seemed to wear thin pretty quickly. They spent a lot of effort sailing northern Norway, Svarlbard and Iceland and I don't think they found it as 'rewarding' as they're hoped. For instance in Iceland, the things they wanted to see and experience weren't exclusively available to those who had sailed for months and several thousand miles. To experience them they had to join the crowds of package holiday punters. A larger scale version of when you've made it to St Kilda and a cruise ship turns up.

Ironically, the place where they could have found something remote and special, in Svarlbard was 'unavailable' to them as their electric drive system (plus cooking) is obviously a dead loss in high latitudes. In the tropics, reliable trade winds and constant sunshine make being 'off-grid' an option, but up in Norway and Iceland they were totally reliant on going from one electrical outlet to the next. They tried a little generator but the noise, fuel and fumes only made it really an emergency option. So under the often very persistent arctic high pressure, very light winds mean that much exploration of Svarlbard is done under engine. They just didn't have the range to go anywhere apart from the one inlet with the capital Longyear, the old mine at Pyramiden, a local glacier, and then made their excuses and left.

I know they have a very close relationship with Oceanvolt, but a bit more realism about how their 'electric boat' choices had dictated their route options would have been both more honest and useful. Harping on about being the first people to take an electric boat closest to the North Pole might play way with their subscriber base in the US mid west, but is about as realistic as Jeremy Clarkson claiming Top Gear drove pickup trucks to the North Pole. Technically true, but a long way from being the whole story.

Relying on solar panels in the Arctic is simply not viable; you get beautiful clear weather less than one day in a week, and often get long periods of high wind and thick cloud cover. I've spent weeks sitting at Longyearbyen airport waiting for a break in the weather that would allow survey flying, watching the snow making interesting patterns outside the window as it drifts. And as said, it's either too windy or not windy enough! In those latitudes a wind generator might earn its keep some days, but on others you'll get nothing.

Further, for safety you need the ability to manoeuvre rapidly and reliably. While the west of Svalbard has little sea ice in summer, it does have plenty bergy bits calving off glaciers. A lump big enough to ruin your whole day is very hard to see from any distance. Further east, it gets colder and icier. So you need reliable auxiliary power if under sail, unless you're content to remain well offshore like Roger Taylor in MingMing.

 

[lustyd]

I always find these threads funny with all the misconceptions and grumbling. Many of the same people who would praise Tom Cunliffe for financing a life on the waves though media complaining about younger people doing it just because the medium is newer than books.

Have they lost their way? No, absolutely not. They never said they would visit everywhere or what speed they would move at. Patrons know where they are now and what their plans are, as well as what the point of the survey was. We get daily updates from them in addition to the weekly videos, in which they are much more open about what's going on. There's also a pretty active community on their Discord for patrons to chat, it's a much nicer and more friendly forum than the likes of this, probably because everyone pays to be there.

To answer the "why pay?" question, for me it's learning about various things including running a YouTube community. I also really like their content.

 

[Parabordi]

I always find these threads funny with all the misconceptions and grumbling. Many of the same people who would praise Tom Cunliffe for financing a life on the waves though media complaining about younger people doing it just because the medium is newer than books.

Have they lost their way? No, absolutely not. They never said they would visit everywhere or what speed they would move at. Patrons know where they are now and what their plans are, as well as what the point of the survey was. We get daily updates from them in addition to the weekly videos, in which they are much more open about what's going on. There's also a pretty active community on their Discord for patrons to chat, it's a much nicer and more friendly forum than the likes of this, probably because everyone pays to be there.

To answer the "why pay?" question, for me it's learning about various things including running a YouTube community. I also really like their content.

Wot he said

 

[Salt'n'shaken]

The issue of them going down the yacht design route (which seems to be the way they want to go) is not that people are in want of bespoke designs - the industry lacks the means to produce 'affordable' individual designs.

The fibreglass sailing yacht market basically died 20+ years ago. The few players that are left have had to go the way they have.

Technology may change things - 3D printing, robotic micro factories etc, but as things stand who is going to build their design?

Perhaps they're looking to the Bav, Ben, Jen, Legends to give them a commission to build the 'Uma' and the survey is their way in?

 

[mattonthesea]

I always find these threads funny with all the misconceptions and grumbling. Many of the same people who would praise Tom Cunliffe for financing a life on the waves though media complaining about younger people doing it just because the medium is newer than books.

Agree. I'm all for them. No complaints - just a question ?

Have they lost their way? No, absolutely not. They never said they would visit everywhere or what speed they would move at. Patrons know where they are now and what their plans are, as well as what the point of the survey was. We get daily updates from them in addition to the weekly videos, in which they are much more open about what's going on.

Couple of points though: yes they did say that they would never be in a hurry. I think that bucking the tide and through the night demonstrates a hurriedness.

I ask if they've lost their way from what I can see as only a sponsor through Google advertising. From this I am curious and ask questions to this very learned group of critical thinkers. That is not to denigrate them; it was a genuine question. And, as my role involved the design of surveys, I, in my second post, was intrigued as to its purpose.

WRT a nicer forum community for patrons: that's not surprising; it's not rational to introduce discord to something one has invested in either financially or emotionally. Quite the opposite - even in academic environments! ??

As I said before, I wish them luck. Dan has a sharp mind and an entrepreneurial spirit. I think he would do well in any circumstance.

I will eagerly catch up to the six month lag after I have made a three month trip to the Baltic since the B word has disconnected free data for watching videos. I mean no harm to anyone except that guy who's put St Petersburg off the itinerary
???

 

[lustyd]

The line was "never in a hurry to get anywhere", they aren't aiming for anywhere specific, just somewhere warmer so technically not a mission failure ? . They didn't want a second winter in the far north, which makes sense to me. You'll find out where they got to in the next couple of weeks, and they may even reveal some more of their plans for this year on the main channel. As alluded to in the thread some of the decisions were visa related so it's not necessarily all by choice but warmer weather has been a fairly consistent theme. It's easy to forget but they attended the 2019 Southampton boat show which shows how long they've been in cooler waters. It's also interesting to know the real timeline of when they were in certain places as that explains a lot of what we're seeing.

 

[Beamster]

I often wonder about the overall longevity of YouTube sailing channels. Once channels reach 'maturity' ie the boat has been developed to its maximum potential and the crew have become competent at what they do, there isn't a lot of room for expansion or more importantly differentiation from the other channels out there. You don't want it to become a weekly glorified holiday video or a snapshot of a 'perfect' lifestyle which it often isn't. It must be hard to generate up beat content and release it weekly when not much is happening - other than sailing from A-B.

Yeh why on earth do people send payments each month, sometimes large amounts, so those people can spend it on themselves without doing any real work at all. but they do. They go even further with huge gifts. they think they know them, but they dont. What a funny world it is. of course there are good exceptions and indeed people can do as they like.

Steveeasy

Work = amount of time spent on something in exchange for money

I think they spend a lot of time on the things they do to the boat and a lof of time on making sure it becomes easy consumable and educational content => work

In our digital networked world this content is then monetised even further by sharing and reach.

Whether it's fair that some people earn more than others for not spending more time is another matter.

 

[Wansworth]

From personal observation of several YouTube boat vids once the boats in the water it all falls a bit flat

 

[Beneteau381]

From personal observation of several YouTube boat vids once the boats in the water it all falls a bit flat?

Exactly! Also interesting, when we started watching these years ago, going through the Panama Canal, San Blas etc, all very exotic and not seen before, now they all do it, we’ve seen everything about the Caribbean in microscopic detail.

Weird, how did that happen?

 

[Wansworth]

Weird, how did that happen?

I didn’t say the last quote

 

[Never Grumble]

Like several others I find the initial stages of their 'journey' interesting. Then it all gets a bit the same as all the other sailing video creators and that's when I tend to stop watching them. I'm also surprised at the number of freebies they seem to get both of their patrons and some manufacturers. I often feel its a bit of we have all this fantastic free stuff which you suckers sat at home working in your boring jobs still cant afford.

 

[lustyd]

I'm also surprised at the number of freebies

It's not a freebie if it's part of your income for your job

 

[Never Grumble]

It's not a freebie if it's part of your income for your job

The world of social media influencers is one I struggle with.

 

[lustyd]

The world of social media influencers is one I struggle with.

It's a fairly new profession so I think a lot of people do. Uma aren't influencers though, they're content creators and work in a similar way to TV production companies, they're just small and independent. They write, film and produce content, which they post to YouTube and other platforms. They get paid through advertising and through direct subscriptions from their audience. Sometimes the advertising is passive through YouTube, and quite low paid, and sometimes it's directly in the content via sponsors, and slightly better paid. They are required (by law) to say when they are being sponsored so you can tell it apart from them just being really impressed with the new plotter they bought at a retailer.