Which yachting magazine(s) do you buy or read and why.

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Neeves

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The strangely simultaneous departures of staff from PBO, YM and MBM have produced posts from some people who are critical of the publications that support YBW. So what do people buy, or not buy.

I had a subscription to YM, printed version, and some of the articles were excellent, the one by Vyv on chain I thought was good (and I'd have bought that issue just for that article). But often articles (in all mags) are superficial and often seem to pander to advertisers (or potential advertisers). For someone in Oz the UK focussed location articles are not much use in YM (as Oz location articles would be of little value to someone in the UK). Here I read each issue of Cruising Helmsman (good for local location articles and some practical stuff) and have access to Australian Sailing and Yachting. 'News' I can get from Oz's MySailing.com.au or your YBW.com both of which come in FOC. My regular reading would be America's Practical Sailor as it takes no advertising and panders to no vested interest (other than the publisher) but can be Amero-centric (articles on antifouling do not travel! - different formulations in different countries) - but otherwise its good as most manufacturers now make the same thing for all markets. I'm not keen on electronic publications - but PS appear to offer their electronic version more cheaply than the printed one and I'm proudly parsimonious so suffer the electronic screen.

But maybe people can get all their technical and location information here, or on the PBO or MBM forum sites (or the other forum sites). Certainly if you have a specific technical question there is usually an answer, well lots actually, to a thread within days.

Are Forum, rather than electronic publication, sounding the death knell for the printed magazine? If so what's the future for IPC?

I have a vested interest - I write, or have written, for some of the printed magazines mentioned (and some others I omit). But ignoring any selfish motives it would be better for us if PBO and YM printed what we wanted or needed (and most importantly, they stay in business)

Jonathan
 
I subscribe to PBO ,YM and Sailing today. The scripts and topics covered in the Sailing Today magazines are not very relevant to me anymore as it concentrates on new big yachts driven by advertising mainly; I have therefore recently cancelled my subscription, although I still receive the magazine as I have paid until the September. But I sure that the Sailing Today magazine has attracted different audience, perhaps, it was their new strategy, and I have no problem with this.

I still enjoy reading both the PBO and the YM printed magazines and so far I have little desire in reading the electronic versions.
 
Perhaps I can sum it up with two observations:

1) "Daddy, did you not have Google when you were a boy?" a question by my 10 year old daughter; and

2) I have recently completed some post-graduate engineering studies and was a member of Senate of a major UK university everything is moving at warp speed nine to on-line. I could do my research using their wonderful library that gave me access to millions of papers on all sorts of topics.

The UK, perhaps global, education system is teaching the next generation to use very different ways of gaining knowledge.

Saying all of the above I love the physical feel of paper in my hand, BUT in the mainstream magazines there is not the technical content that gives them any value added and no I do not read the adverts! A recent innovation from my engineering institute, the IET, has been interesting, on a number of articles in their members magazine there is a "blippar" icon that when scanned with a smartphone links to a page in the web. While this technology is interesting I am quite sure it will be rapidly superseded.
 
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Nostalgia mainly
For many years none. Or the occasional magazine picked up on a ferry or at an airport.
I used to read Yachting Monthly from time to time back in the UK along with Yachting World occasionally.
I rarely bother with the local magazine. It is generic, both power and sail and even though local, rarely has any interesting articles.
From time to time I would pick up a YM or a PBO at local news agent who has international selection usually out of date and at huge mark up.
Recently I decided after having bout 3 months in a row to try a subscription for a year. I’ve done this before but never renewed.
I’m not really interested in the new boat articles. I like the advice on seamanship boat handling just so I can disagree with it. Some just show me how out of date I am particularly the electronics but also the expectations on amenities and comforts.
I like the cruising articles around the UK. Many are areas I have sailed before.
Oddly PBO is more in line with my type of sailing but I enjoy YM. Remains to be seen if I will renew my subscription.
I have not figured out how to access electronic version. I prefer to read real books though I do have a tablet e reader for travelling.
 
I have been a subscriber to YM for many years and to PBO for about ten. I would prefer YM to be a little more practical and for PBO to move back to having a far greater DIY content, less expensive boat reviews. I use the digital versions of both and, something of a first for me, I have read almost all of the YM June edition within a couple of days. A vast improvement on catching up five or six editions of each on returning home.

I occasionally look at USA magazines and website forums but there seems to be little commonality between the cruising I do and theirs.
 
I've had subscriptions to 2 out of 3 of the main UK offerings at different times over the last 5 or 6 years. In the end I cancelled them because typically I was lucky to find one article that made it worth paying the cover price. The boat reviews were typically only for lottery winners and clearly driven by advertising. My strategy now is to check out the contents first and then decide....result, have only purchased one copy this year!
Long live the Forum....its a great resource.
 
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vyv_cox said:
I occasionally look at USA magazines and website forums but there seems to be little commonality between the cruising I do and theirs.
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Maybe a bit of elaboration? Do you suggest their environment is different (to which I might agree - the UK, or the Med, is slightly different to Oz:)) or do you mean they have a different (technical?) perspective? One might think that we have, at least, a little to teach each other, or is that arrogant;)

Certainly your smilies get a bit of getting used to:D:D

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
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Maybe a bit of elaboration? Do you suggest their environment is different (to which I might agree - the UK, or the Med, is slightly different to Oz:)) or do you mean they have a different (technical?) perspective? One might think that we have, at least, a little to teach each other, or is that arrogant;)

Certainly your smilies get a bit of getting used to:D:D

Jonathan
Click to expand...

I enjoy reading the UK magazines when I can get my hands on them from time to time. They are not readily available in the USA, and when they are on the shelf the price is very high. Unfortunately, like almost all magazines, the boating group is on a decline, suffering still from a major pullback in advertising dollars coming in, which is the fuel that sustains them. Some magazines have tackled this by cutting costs and staff to the point that content has suffered too, along with the inevitable catering to whomever is willing to advertise. Over here in the USA I see that mainly manifested in two things that I don't care for: enormous coverage of chartering, which I have no interest in, and endless "roundups" of new gear in order to make a mention of advertisers or potential advertisers. The other thing I think is an industry-wide problem, not just for the magazines, is that the majority of the boats discussed are far outside of the average reader's budget. These boats only sell in the few dozens per year over here in the USA, so they can't be catering to their readership, while thousands of these same loyal followers might be much more interested in the types of things we write about on the forums all the time: repairing stuff, anchors, solar power, batteries, great anchorages, rules and regulations, etc. I do have a vested interest in this, because I write for some of them, including Ocean Navigator, which has worked hard to maintain standards even though they too are suffering mightily from the advertising decline. They at least have not fired all senior staff and replaced them with warm bodies off the street or not replaced them, which is what some mags. have done. In fact, most of the staff there are actual sailors themselves, with extensive offshore experience, including the advertising crew. Unfortunately, you don't find that anymore. New staff are chosen for price first, than their ability to write with SEO in mind, while also taking crappy video to fill up the website. Other good mags., or at least ones I find myself reading, over here include WoodenBoat, Practical Sailor, Good Old Boat, and Sailing (the big one). I believe the future is all digital, whether we like it or not.
 
Oddly we have just had a birthday party for a 10 year old (with her 12 year old sister). In view of an earlier post about the speed of encroachment (and development) of digital publishing and the fact they were both reading digital books I enquired of their preference. They both said they preferred real books - as the battery did not run out, you could drop a book or even get it a bit damp. Made me feel quite normal, though that does not impact on what might happen. I find digital, of an overseas magazine, 'sensible' as does Vyv - but I still prefer, with the 2 girls, old fashioned paper.

But the format, or presentation, is only part of the issue.

The few posts suggest a desire for practical articles, cutting staff does not make meeting that focus very easy. Are, our, magazines cutting costs in the wrong area? Maybe if the thread develops a different view will come through.

Jonathan
 
My son is 19 and at college and my daughter is 17, and both are readers of books for entertainment value, but when it comes to searching for information they go immediately to the web. I don't believe either would even think of subscribing to a paper magazine for any reason--it is almost like a landline phone--they exist and people know what they do, but why would you want one? But, even if the future is digital, that doesn't necessarily mean the end of magazines, though I think most are still struggling with how to make enough money off of the web.
 
Every time I pick up a UK sailing mag in an airport or railway station it seems full of dull reviews of yet another AWB sailing around the Solent. The French mags are much more interesting - lots of articles about people sailing in outlandish places in totally unsuitable boats!
 
Personally I rarely find anything of interest to read in either YM or PBO. I buy yachting world most months. Usually as something to read on the train. I find that as try deal with more advanced sailing, and the latest technologies and advancements they rarely have to recycle topics and the coverage of cruising to far away places in all manner of boats, from superyachts to wanderer III, not to mention coverage of racing from dinghies to the vendee makes it a varied and generally interesting read.
 
I think the YM and PBO have improved over the last few years for me, giving a fair balance of information between them.

Like many others it does go against the grain when they go too 'upmarket' looking at boats costing a fortune.

It 'bugs me' when YM and PBO duplicate articles. If only there were a little communication between the two to try and insert one comprehensive article on a subject, in just one magazine, it may end up being of benefit to both. However, competition between the two has said to be a good thing..... but shouldn't it be on quality rather than duplicate content.
(minor 'rant' over!)

I for one will continue with my subscriptions enjoying the fresh new input from Kieran Flatt in YM hot seat and hope that PBO can continue to improve and move further towards its roots under its new helm.
 
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I currently subscribe to PBO and am an occasional contributor. I like PBO because it does what it says on the tin, and publishes practical articles of use to those who maintain their boats either because they like to do it, or to save money.
 
In the small room I have a pile of PBO andYM s dating from the early 8o to last year.I find there is always something interesting.As I live in Spain I only buy when I am in the UK and then if there is something interesting.I mean if ym did a feature on the albin Vega or how to not fuñk up your engine I would be buying.Indepth stuff and some history on places and boats and people would be a seller for me.
 
I subscribe to and read YM and PBO in both printed and digital formats. I find the content interesting if not always relevant to Italian waters...

I used to buy Latitudes and Attitudes, although it was primarily a US/Caribbean cruising publication. I plan to sail there one day and enjoy reading about the experiences of people sailing those areas. Also, I would rather goggle over pictures of sandy beaches than the Solent...

As Lats & Atts folded a few months ago I now follow Bob Bitchin's new foray; Cruising Outpost. This is also available in printed or digital formats, published quarterly (http://cruisingoutpost.com/).

I also really enjoying reading other people's blogs and buy sailing e-books from Amazon Kindle - there are some great titles out there for only a few pounds. I also love to read books by, or relating to, people on this forum. Paul and Libby, Mrs Jonic, Niall and Louise etc al have all kept me amused and feed my desire to sail off into the sunset.

As for the future of IPC - I think their catalogue is extensive so I think they can absorb ups and downs in certain topic areas. Having moved with the times and embraced digital media they are safe for a few years yet I think.

Andy
 
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