Imray are putting their Pilot Guides online and have a Kickstarter offer

[Imray]

If they want to make this a subscription then they're going to need to make more of an effort to keep the information up to date to justify it. We had two copies of the Scillies pilot on board last year, my 10 year old copy and the current edition. Both of them contained the same incorrect information regarding restaurants. The actual sailing information has not and likely will not change over time to a large enough extent to justify a subscription so all of the value is in the extra info.

Hello, Imray here! We really value feedback like this, would you be willing to let us know what isn’t up to date so we can correct it in the supplement to the book?

 

[Imray]

They had an iPad app version a few years ago that they just dropped after a year. I won’t be subscribing to this and I avoid anything that includes “community edits” as the are frequently inaccurate in my experience.
[/QUOTE

This is very much like the CA Captains Mate app and Savvy Navvy, it will be kept uptodate by commubity edits I expect. You can also add content to Navionics on an iPad but few do in English. I like the Idea of the £250 once off price with no further subscriptions, but there is so much data available now I wonder if it is needed. I will probably do it.
[/

I've done it. The guides are good, British company, having a go & all that.

I liked their "pitch" video - very professional.

£25 - and I get to find out what this "Kickstarter" is all about.

Thanks for your support!

 

[Imray]

Having read the link a bit more thoroughly, there is a bit more to it that I thought.
I assumed it was just a way of putting pilot books online as e-books, making them available at a very low cost. Hence my interest.
But it seems to be much more ambitious than that, creating a social media space for cruisers to share information and to interact. It could work, but it's very hard to break in to that market when there are already forums like this, and facebook groups for cruising sailors. There just aren't enough of us out there to make a strong business model, and not everybody really wants to share details of their favourite hidden anchorage with the world.
I'll chip in anyway- we're about to set off bluewater and if we wanted to buy every pilot book we are likely to need along the way it would add up to a lot more than the £25 they're asking for. Obviously having them in e-format will be annoying and limiting, but it's better than not having the pilot at all. And I might find that it helps me to decide which physical books to buy.

Thanks for your support!

 

[lustyd]

Hello, Imray here! We really value feedback like this, would you be willing to let us know what isn’t up to date so we can correct it in the supplement to the book?

Of course! My day rate is £1500 plus expenses (I'm not usually in the content business). I'd be more than happy to spend a few weeks finding issues for you.

*Sarcasm aside, I really do appreciate when a business engages with their customers. Kudos to you for coming here and doing so, and if you manage to maintain such engagement I certainly will be happy to contribute content. For the record, there are several restaurants in the scillies which don't and never have existed which are in the books. There literally isn't even a building in some cases.

 

[TiggerToo]

..... in the scillies ....

aaaaggggghhhh

(I am told it is a nono to call them that)

 

[lustyd]

aaaaggggghhhh

(I am told it is a nono to call them that)

You've been told wrong, they call themselves that all the time

 

[TiggerToo]

You've been told wrong, they call themselves that all the time

YLAL...

 

[Ink]

If they want to make this a subscription then they're going to need to make more of an effort to keep the information up to date to justify it. We had two copies of the Scillies pilot on board last year, my 10 year old copy and the current edition. Both of them contained the same incorrect information regarding restaurants. The actual sailing information has not and likely will not change over time to a large enough extent to justify a subscription so all of the value is in the extra info.

I for one don't rely on Sailing Directions to provide me with up to date restaurant availability. I should be able to get that information from other media.

I rely on Sailing Directions to indicate refuges, harbours and marinas how to get into and out from them and for other pilotage information including passage planning.

That you expect hard copies of anything to be up to date is not going to happen.

Ink

 

[Ink]

They had an iPad app version a few years ago that they just dropped after a year. I won’t be subscribing to this and I avoid anything that includes “community edits” as the are frequently inaccurate in my experience.

Clyde Cruising Club Sailing Directions are renowned for their layout and accuracy being wholly conceived designed and UPDATED by the membership.

At the moment, any updates are free and available to all purchasers on line and downloadable.

I expressed great concerns when the CCC 'sold out' ownership of their excellent sailing directions to Imray a few years ago. The goose that laid the golden egg. But perhaps that's an arguement for another day.

Ink

 

[lustyd]

I for one don't rely on Sailing Directions to provide me with up to date restaurant availability. I should be able to get that information from other media.

I rely on Sailing Directions to indicate refuges, harbours and marinas how to get into and out from them and for other pilotage information including passage planning.

That you expect hard copies of anything to be up to date is not going to happen.

Ink

My point was that the harbours, refuges and sailing directions don’t need updating so the only part of the guide that is worth a subscription model is that other info. The fact that it never is updated suggests the subscription is not worth it since you’ll never get new content.

 

[Bristolfashion]

The East Coast Pilot maintains an excellent update website. The CA almanac is also subject to frequent updates. Pretty good overall.

 

[Ink]

My point was that the harbours, refuges and sailing directions don’t need updating so the only part of the guide that is worth a subscription model is that other info. The fact that it never is updated suggests the subscription is not worth it since you’ll never get new content.

I have sailed through the likes of Oban which seems to change in an almost annual basis. Good quality sailing directions updated regularly would be the serious sailors first point of call.

Ink

 

[lustyd]

I have sailed through the likes of Oban which seems to change in an almost annual basis. Good quality sailing directions updated regularly would be the serious sailors first point of call.

Ink

Then a hardcopy book updated every 4-5 years is not for you!

 

[Ink]

Then a hardcopy book updated every 4-5 years is not for you!

As I previously alluded to, some hard copy sailing directions are updated regularly, an example I gave was the CCC directions that are updated with downloadable text and chartlets at a minimum of four times per year.

Ink

 

[Kelpie]

I use pilot books to tell me where the rocks are.
I use the current year's almanac to tell me what the buoys are.
I use Welcome Anchorages to tell me where I can spend money.

 

[Imray]

Of course! My day rate is £1500 plus expenses (I'm not usually in the content business). I'd be more than happy to spend a few weeks finding issues for you.

*Sarcasm aside, I really do appreciate when a business engages with their customers. Kudos to you for coming here and doing so, and if you manage to maintain such engagement I certainly will be happy to contribute content. For the record, there are several restaurants in the scillies which don't and never have existed which are in the books. There literally isn't even a building in some cases.

Sorry for the slow reply, but we genuinely do enjoy conversations with our customers. It makes it all worthwhile when you can chat and hear what people think (good or bad!) and how they're using what we're making. Thank you for your generous offer. It'd be great to hear, via editor@imray.com, of any inaccuracies or updates and we can then get the author to check and update the downloadable book supplement on our website. Many thanks.

 

[KompetentKrew]

If they want to make this a subscription then they're going to need to make more of an effort to keep the information up to date to justify it. We had two copies of the Scillies pilot on board last year, my 10 year old copy and the current edition. Both of them contained the same incorrect information regarding restaurants. The actual sailing information has not and likely will not change over time to a large enough extent to justify a subscription so all of the value is in the extra info.

There were a couple of times last year that I considered emailing them. They should publicise a prominent maintainers@guides.Imray.com email address, and encourage yachties to send all observations.

Perhaps they will achieve the same with the proposed social network.

I hate subscription-based services, bit if the price includes access to all their guides then £250 for lifetime membership seems like good value.

I'd love access to the Cruising Association app, as I hear it's very good, but can't justify the price. Network effect might make the Imray social site even better.

 

[KompetentKrew]

My point was that the harbours, refuges and sailing directions don’t need updating so the only part of the guide that is worth a subscription model is that other info. The fact that it never is updated suggests the subscription is not worth it since you’ll never get new content.

I anchored off the long sandy beach at Islas Cies near Vigo last year, thankful for the 25-year-old pilot guide (one of @Imray's, I think) which was supplied with the boat.

After I'd enjoyed beers and breakfast and had internet access again, I discovered that the islands are now a marine reserve and that yachts must book a special permit if they wish to visit. I spent the next 48 hours worrying I might be visited by the permit police.