Making Yahcting Montlhy more radical

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tmh900

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I am sure it is not the mag that is boring, more me I think - I've reached my three year anniversary as a reader, so similar stuff coming round again (as of course is the case with all mags, not just saily).

Anyway, what about suggestions for more radical features to make it (even) more interesting?

My suggestion is a feature called "If it floats, we'll sail it!". Each issue chooses a different object to which canvas is attached and it is 'sailed' over a set distance. The object could be anything from a tree trunk to a stink pot.

What other features might work? (nothing nasty about jet skiers please)...
 
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tmh900 said:
My suggestion is a feature called "If it floats, we'll sail it!". Each issue chooses a different object to which canvas is attached and it is 'sailed' over a set distance. The object could be anything from a tree trunk to a stink pot.
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Already done by Top Gear!

I know what you mean about boring but I don't think this is the answer.
 
wotayottie said:
Already done by Top Gear!
Click to expand...

OK, what about other features such as "Coastguard wind-up of the week". The objective is to get the coastgoard to broadcast something humorous (without of course compromising safety)...

Yacht: "Solent coastguard, Solent coastguard, this is yacht Hoof Arfted, yacht Hoof Arfted, over."
Solent coastguard: "Hoof....".

or

"Sailing Celebrity Encounters"...Andy from Chihester claims to have given RKJ a 'wedgie' at school in 1960.

Where are those creative juices on the forum today?
 
What about asking readers what they would like to see by way of changes. I gave up my subscription to YM a year or so ago (after some 15 years) as I got fed up with the same old stuff being "re-cycled". The final straw was the repeat of the "A-Z of second hand boats" which I think was on its 3rd outing. Also, advertising was taking up more and more of the space - at least 60%. With continuing price hikes in my view it just wasn't value for money any more.
 
I expect the Editor wishes he knew the answer to this.
For what it's worth - the magazine seems (to me) terribly worthy and takes its job very seriously. Quite right of course, but there's room for a sense of humour. We are all missing the incomparable Des Sleightholme.
How about a water ballasted anchor?
 
I must admit that I find much of the content bland and inoffensive at best. I have never really trusted the product or boat tests in YM or their competitors. They generally seem to couch poor performance in terms so obscure as to be meaningless and designed not to scare the advertising horses. Perhaps they need to be more opinionated, fearless and Clarkson-like, with their test reports. A page dedicated to readers opinions of boats and products would also get my vote.

If they want to increase circulation then they should become more outrageous and radical in their articles. Some, miffed, advertisers may well take their monery elsewhere but those with a businesslike approach would be seriously attracted by increased circulation.

So thats it then - problem solved!!
 
Tiercel said:
I must admit that I find much of the content bland and inoffensive at best. I have never really trusted the product or boat tests in YM or their competitors. They generally seem to couch poor performance in terms so obscure as to be meaningless and designed not to scare the advertising horses.
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And not to scare libel lawyers either. Remember that IPC got very, very, very badly burned indeed over an article in Yachting World about the Walker Wingsail.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/libel-cash-for-wingsail-1597023.html
 
Voile et Voilier (http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/) translated to English would do the trick... we've got loads of home grown talent in the UK (Roger Taylor being just one) and yet these folk barely get a mention in our mags, V&V shamelessly celebrate great acheivements by French sailors and companies...

Here's an idea... the Jester Challenge is coming up in May 2010, nearly 100 boats entered in the 50th anniversary of the OSTAR... what an occasion and all entered by 'non-commercial, everyday' kind of sailors (if you know what I mean. The mags should get behind this event.

I was also going to say "more totty" (ducks and runs for cover):D
 
Getting behind the Jester Challenge is a great idea. The boat reviews do actually contain criticism of the real dog boats but it is well encoded so a casual or inexperienced reading can easily miss the message (reviews of the expensive, well-built but performance-free Island Packets managed to convey the message that they are motor-sailors without actually saying so).
 
To be fair YM did describe tacking of the IP as "lumbering"...not too much code there ;)....and we regularly cover the Jester Challenge, OSTAR and AZAB when they come around, featuring the cruising sailors rather than the high end race boats
 
snooks said:
To be fair YM did describe tacking of the IP as "lumbering"...not too much code there ;)....and we regularly cover the Jester Challenge, OSTAR and AZAB when they come around, featuring the cruising sailors rather than the high end race boats
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Splendid. You will be mentioning the (exYM) Triangle Race that happens next year then, especially as JJ will be competing.
 
tmh900 said:
What other features might work? (nothing nasty about jet skiers please)...
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About 20 years ago PBO used to wack out a Cruising Magazine with the main mag. It was full of improving sailing tales from far and wide (not thinly veneered charter adverts) and practical stuff. As a clincher it had within it the sort of useful, cut out and keep, data normally only found in Almanacs eg this month Dover tide tables next month List of Navtex stations etc.

How about extracts from the classics - couple of pargraphs from Slocum , Tambs, Tilman, Knight and the rest.

Notable boats: B & W photos, line and accommodation plans of classic yachts with an overview of their sailing history.

OK all my schemes are old farty but if anyone else mentions Clarkson I will disembowel myself with my own Curry Lockspike.
 
Clarkson!!! :D Can we watch?

The real issue is that we all read the print off YM and PBO when we first start but there comes a point when we know all we want to know about the most routine subjects. We've read the antifoul tests, done the 1001 jobs to do before laying up etc etc.

There just isnt that much new happening in the sailing world. Indeed many of the posters on here seem to think that nothing new ever should happens - all the old boats are best etc etc.

It would be interesting to klnow what was happening to the circulation figures. Thats a real measure of success.
 
"There just isnt that much new happening in the sailing world."

Not so sure about that.

Canting rigs.
Speed records.
UKBA boardings.
Marine Management Act.
Threats to traditional anchorages.
The opening of the NW passage (ditto the NE passage).
E-Borders
Digital Radar
Sail tech.

for starters.
 
Of course, the other significant factor not yet mentioned is what effect that these forums (fora) are having on readership.

They're immediate, informative, self regulating, written by real people not paid writers and you have the right to reply (ad infinitum in the case of some threads!):rolleyes:



Blimey I never thought I'd use two bits of Latin in the same message!!:D
 
wotayottie said:
It would be interesting to klnow what was happening to the circulation figures. Thats a real measure of success.
Click to expand...

Circulation figures AFAIK are holding up quite well with the financial situation as it is.

I was expecting it to be a lot worse...so while readership is generally down across the board, on all magazines sales, not just the boaty ones, we're doing all right.

That's not to say we're going to rest on our laurels, we're always looking for ways to improve the magazine, such as the recent redesign (the Jan issue looks great btw), with focus groups, and new feature ideas, and the electronic content etc.

Looking through the running order of Feb there are some great features coming up....
 
magic of the swatchways factor

I haven't read all this thread and I have seen several other threads like this. 0.02 p The old yachting monthlies are still better reads than the present.Sure it has technical people who write average articles about this and that(comments on content elsewhere) BUT there is no magic of the swatchways factor. The words are on the page are hmmm err missing that MG factor

Plus the missing magic front cover
 
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