Keep Turning Left

[OGITD]

Lets get out there & make our own!

I was one of the early followers of Dylan & our young pal Nathan with KTL & AoK, so I am genuinely disappointed that there will be no regular video posts / uploads for us all to watch and enjoy.
So Ladies and Gentlemen and fellow Mariners, this definitely leaves a gap in the market and a window of opportunity for us all to get our cameras out, document our aquatic adventures and post them on the Web / YouTube.
Its not hard and the camera can cost as little as £50 for a basic digital Fuji which works fine for video capture.
So I for one will be posting some footage (to use a very old term) of sailing events from the 2010 season.
Looking forward to viewing lots of video’s / uploads from the rest of our friends and associates out on the water.
So if this severe winter stays true to the “old wives tale” and produces a fantastic summer, lets make the most of it and get out there.
Fair Winds….even to the Mobo’s and lets create our own watchable media, because as we all know the Telly’s rotten these days.
OGITD's

 

[OGITD]

Sorry Neale it's just you or your system.

Is it just me or is the colour/font combo on your blog almost impossible to read?

Sorry Neale it's just you or your system, as it displays and reads fine even through my prescription / specs.

 

[Kelpie]

Sorry to hear that KTL will not be continuing as the regular series that I have come to enjoy. How long will it take you to reach my neck of the woods now!
At least I know that I did my bit and bought a download and clicked on a whole heap of adverts.

 

[dylanwinter]

the journey will continue

I aim to do just as much sailing - less editing is all

so who knows when I will get there Rob.

Aiming to spend the spring in the Wash and then work my way up the bacl of England.The rivers are further apart - but there are some great ones to explore.

I want to go as far inland as York for instance

Nathan has come up with an idea which might work - and it seems counter-intuitive - but the idea is to give away the latest film on you tube etc

but only the last one is left up. Every time a new film is posted the old ones goes the other side of a paypal button where it and all the archive will be available at full broadcast quality

it was suggested that I should try a 6 month access to everything at best quality for $4.99

Feedback gratefully accepted

Dylan

 

[Geoffs]

I'd be very happy to go with $4.99.

I hope you don't change your style because of a few emails. Tell us how you see it, mobo's, BMW's and the French. It's all part of Dylan. I'm a motorboatist and BMW driver (but not French!), I don't care!

I was rather surprised you edited the Mudway video aboat boat names.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Dylan,

As I interpret it, your original idea was to sail around the UK, turning left, etc, for your own pleasure and enthralment. The early vids were a simple by-product, and came about because you're 'at home' with a movie camera in the way that others are with a still camera, or a guitar, or a frying pan.

The early vids seemed to be 'I'm going sailing - here are some moving pix'. As the voyage progressed, they became less like video diaries and more like pukka programmes. Your genetic make-up bubbling to the surface, I guess.

And as the production became more intense and the filming more creative, as production standards rose, so it started to become imperative to try to 'monetise' each segment.

Now, it seems, the sums are not going to add up, so the answer must surely be to revert to sailing for sailing's sake. Just pull out a cheap cam when something interesting happens, for your own diary of the voyage.

The rest of us will suffer, but I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself more without the pressure of trying to make a programme out of every leg of the journey.

In the meantime, don't give up on trying to find a commissioning editor who'll take the idea on and find funding - think of the success of the current radio project 'History of the World in 100 objects'. You've already got enough film in the can for proof-of-concept.

Best of luck, TK

PS - Michael Grade sails. Anyone know him?

 

[notyet]

Hi Dylan

Your website says:

"I intend to push her pudgy little bow up every estuary and river worth exploring along our 20,000 mile long coast. The journey might take me four, five or six years - who cares? I won't if you won't. As a cameraman I would be filming the trip anyway - and unedited film is a waste of shelf space - I might as well share it with youtube and through this website."

I too thought you were just doing this for the craic, I think this is what made the videos so engaging.

I would rather see chilled out Dylan with some dodgy camerawork and quick and dirty editing enjoying the good life once in a while than regular updates of high definition professional Dylan working under pressure to satisfy paying customers.

But at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what I or anyone else thinks, I hope you find the balance that suits you.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

It has been a most interesting week

120 99c downloads - about a tank of petrol - in return for a week of editing

a free sailing film gets between 5,000 and 30,000 hits

Christopher Columbus is correct

99c is way too much for the average sailor to pay


so as a business plan this is a real lulu


The change in relationship with the viewers has also been most edifying


One man in the States has sent me five pretty vituperative emails blaming my film for destroying his hard disk

another person paid up - then said that now he is a customer he won't be buying anymore unless I promise to stop saying unkind things about mobos and Arthur Ransome.

A third says that his internet connection went down half way through the download and wants me to send the film to him on disk

that aside the economics are coming home to roost

Yesterday I paid my overwinter and engine service yard bill - £400 - and I have insurance to pay, antifoul - you know the costs

so the 120 downloads does not go far

Thanks to those who stumped up though - that was great -

thanks also to the guys from Tollesbury - the cheques are pinned to my notice board as a sort of trophy - I will never cash them


currently my plan is to finish off doing a decent job on the east coast rivers as and when I get the time to edit the films between real work. So it will be editing at weekends only.

I aim to make a properly produced record of the Blackwater, Colne, Backwaters, Stour, Orwell Deben and Alde. I will have a decent HD shot at the Roach and Crouch whren I come back around again in about five years time

The big Sony finally succumbed to the damp and the salty air of this winter - although the tligh was sublime - so that is £3,000 down the tubes. I cannot justifty taking the pro camera sailing anymore.

The Slug and I will continue with the journey between proper work filming trucks and sheep over the coming years.

I will squirt a few frames on the waterproof Xacti to help remind me of the experience. I will post the odd vlog.

Of course something may turn up to change the circumstances

But I would be a crazy man to carry on with the proper films once I leave the Alde in April.


The logic is simple - if I keep making the sailing films I run out of money to carry on sailing.


CC old friend - it seems you win

Dylan,thanks for making me feel retched.....if I had the money I would buy them no trouble.They are great & like others have said I think they would make an excellent documentary that would knock the likes of that three men in a boat twaddle for six.
I love your commentary.The filming of the wildlife & locations is superb.........if only it was on the telly then I would be feeling a hell of a lot better about paying that £3 a week license fee.Though having said that maybe I would'nt because it would only entice more people onto the water & b*gger up the environment that I so love.
It is a great hobby that we have & there are plenty of other great video's available on youtube like that ocean pearl one......maybe there is just not money to be made at it & it should remain a hobby........certainly I have my own video camera & have been filming my exploits for a few years for my own entertainment.
Happy sailing everyone & I certainly hope you don't blame me for anything Dylan I would be happy to buy you a pint anytime.....

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I want to go as far inland as York for instance

Acaster Malbis is the head of tidal water on the Ouse; I know because my very early sailing education took place there! There's a weir and lock there. Its a mile or so downstream from Bishopsthorpe. The Ouse at York is not tidal, so if I've understood KTL, I'm afraid that great and historic city is off the list!

 

[Keen_Ed]

Someone else who's trying the DIY TV thing. Robert Llewellyn: http://www.llewtube.com/

Wonder how he makes it pay?

 

[dylanwinter]

york

I was told that there are yachts in york

is it not possible to get through the lock

mast down

I got right to the top of the navigation on the medway

the slug can get anywhere a canal boat can get

she only draws a welly

d

Llewellyn link most interesting.

Blimey this forum is a wonderful place

and bless you CC for honesty - you say it like it is without being a troll - good job

Acaster Malbis is the head of tidal water on the Ouse; I know because my very early sailing education took place there! There's a weir and lock there. Its a mile or so downstream from Bishopsthorpe. The Ouse at York is not tidal, so if I've understood KTL, I'm afraid that great and historic city is off the list!

 

[finbarr]

I've watched KTL since the end of 2008 when I was looking into buying a Mirror Offshore (which I eventually did)

It's a great show, well done to Dylan for going to the effort of filming and editing it.

I've purchased KTL49 and enjoyed it thoroughly. Don't have a problem with paypal for such things either. It cost me 75euro cent for anyone in the euro zone interested in such things.

And to Dylan, I enjoyed the earlier films as much as the later ones. I know the quality of picture is better in the later ones, and the editing slicker, but the experience you are putting across is the same one, and the lower quality doesn't harm it at all.
But I like listening to music on vinyl and have turf fired central heating so don't take my opinion as that of the majority!

If you ever get as far as West Cork in your little boat give me a shout and we can have a Mirror Offshore regatta and some Irish whisky to match the Scottish stuff!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I was told that there are yachts in york

is it not possible to get through the lock

mast down

I got right to the top of the navigation on the medway

the slug can get anywhere a canal boat can get

she only draws a welly

d

Llewellyn link most interesting.

Blimey this forum is a wonderful place

and bless you CC for honesty - you say it like it is without being a troll - good job

Yes, as I said, there is a lock - the Ouse is navigable for a very long way, though, and were you planning on doing the whole of the Aire and Calder Navigation? There's a LOT of canals and inland waterways accessible from the Humber Estuary via either the Trent or the Ouse! But I thought KTL was about salt(ish) water, which stops at Acaster Malbis. If you are happy to go through locks, then I guess you can manage to spend a lifetime travelling round the canals and canalized rivers of Yorkshire and the Midlands.

One winter when I were a lad (about 10), my dad took our converted lifeboat through the canals from South Ferriby (on the Humber) to Dewsbury (West Riding of Yorkshire). It took about 4 weekends, I think. My brother and I had a wonderful time operating dilapidated locks on ill-maintained stretches of canal! I think that the canals are now in much better order, but that was before the leisure use of canals was so well established, and after the commercial raison-d'etre had disappeared.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Surely a Sea Slug without a mast is just a slug.

Look out for Bill Sourbutts and his pellets.

 

[dylanwinter]

rule 1 - there is no rule 1

But I thought KTL was about salt(ish) water, which stops at Acaster Malbis. .

now, now, don't go inventing rules by which you seek to judge my behaviour and restrict my options.

That is why I am making no promises about time or route taken or even changing boats half way around if I get more money. There are days when I look longingly at adverts for faster boats.

I assume that the caledonian is not salt water all the way through - and I have not yet decided if I am going through the canal or over the top. That decision is at least 14 months away. So we will have none of this inventing crazy rules about only sticking to salt water. I have broken that already on the Medway

Dylan

as for no mast ... a slug is a slug under sail or engine... but I will say in her defence that she has done more miles over the past two years than many faster and more expensive yachts.

 

[idpnd]

but only the last one is left up. Every time a new film is posted the old ones goes the other side of a paypal button where it and all the archive will be available at full broadcast quality [..] it was suggested that I should try a 6 month access to everything at best quality for $4.99

Sounds clever. Most of the negative feedback on here seemed to be about "signing up for a (single) micropayment". I started watching the series late and had to see all of them so you may be able to suck people in on their addictive nature Also people (including myself) would pay more for access to your archives, a downloadable dvd (compilation without further editing) or perhaps a printed dvd via a distribution service, for everything below 10 GBP the effort of dealing with the bureaucracy is the annoying part really.

I will squirt a few frames on the waterproof Xacti to help remind me of the experience. I will post the odd vlog.

Following your review, I have considered purchasing one for documenting the refit of my rusty monster. I can't/don't want to spaz thousands (or even hundreds ), and the shots you published seemed good enough (especially for web publishing). Any chance of seeing your raw 720p footage from the Xacti?

Apparently Onkudu is using the Xacti as well, and he has limited playback resolution for the youtube video to stay small even on full screen. If you happen to be reading this, Nathan L, how/why did you do this?

*PS: I am just downloading the episode, I can't stream it due to sh*t broadband handicap. My problem/feedback: It doesn't seem to indicate what the highest-quality version is. The WMV is 768 MB, the FLV 250 MB, so I've gone with the WMV. On your old download page, it had the clips arranged by quality I seem to recall.

Apparently the best/state of the art codec at the moment is h264/x264 (can be used with VLC), but I guess it makes things easier for you if people can play them back on their windows media player.

 

[dylanwinter]

formats and cameras

I will put some best q xacti up - although the sailing through orford gives a pretty good impression of what it will do

I had blagged one from xacti - but they asked for it it back - I liked it so much I bought it. Never thought I would be in the market for such a small camera - but it goes everywhere with me - and does not mind if my pocket is wet

the stills are good too.

as for making a dvd - I have tried and tried and failed to make a decent master - the americans have a diffferent format from us - so that is two versions - the french a third.

I did the true HD trail and hardly anyone has machines fast enough to deal with it. 720 is the highest most people can deal with.

Dylan

Sounds clever. Most of the negative feedback on here seemed to be about "signing up for a (single) micropayment". I started watching the series late and had to see all of them so you may be able to suck people in on their addictive nature Also people (including myself) would pay more for access to your archives, a downloadable dvd (compilation without further editing) or perhaps a printed dvd via a distribution service, for everything below 10 GBP the effort of dealing with the bureaucracy is the annoying part really.



Following your review, I have considered purchasing one for documenting the refit of my rusty monster. I can't/don't want to spaz thousands (or even hundreds ), and the shots you published seemed good enough (especially for web publishing). Any chance of seeing your raw 720p footage from the Xacti?

Apparently Onkudu is using the Xacti as well, and he has limited playback resolution for the youtube video to stay small even on full screen. If you happen to be reading this, Nathan L, how/why did you do this?

*PS: I am just downloading the episode, I can't stream it due to sh*t broadband handicap. My problem/feedback: It doesn't seem to indicate what the highest-quality version is. The WMV is 768 MB, the FLV 250 MB, so I've gone with the WMV. On your old download page, it had the clips arranged by quality I seem to recall.

Apparently the best/state of the art codec at the moment is h264/x264 (can be used with VLC), but I guess it makes things easier for you if people can play them back on their windows media player.

 

[idpnd]

Another hugely enjoyable episode thanks..

I will put some best q xacti up - although the sailing through orford gives a pretty good impression of what it will do

I had blagged one from xacti - but they asked for it it back - I liked it so much I bought it. Never thought I would be in the market for such a small camera - but it goes everywhere with me - and does not mind if my pocket is wet

the stills are good too.

That would be very kind of you. I particularly enjoyed the time-lapse docking manoeuvre you did. I suppose you could even time-lapse a whole tidal range with a large sd card and a second battery.

as for making a dvd - I have tried and tried and failed to make a decent master - the americans have a diffferent format from us - so that is two versions - the french a third.

Oh well.. I thought it's different regional codes? I suppose streaming is the future anyway, although I do feel people pay more for things they can touch and hold and hand over as a present.

 

[tarik]

help re access to film

I'm obviously doing something wrong - have subscribed but my laptop does not recognise the format, I'm not computor literate keep pushing keys - nothing happens. Never mind I have really enjoyed watching the 'you tube' snippets, hopefully someday Dylan will produce a full length DVD put my name down for one if so.

regards

David

 

[Geoffs]

You need an FLV player to play the file which has a .flv extension (FLashVideo). Try Google'ing FLV player, there's plenty there most are free.

Alternatively you can use a programme to convert FLV files to other formats, MPEG, AVi etc. and can then use Windows Media player to view. Google FLV Converter, plenty of free ones.