YM - Worst ever?

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rhinorhino

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OK, it summer and we should all be out sailing, but is that any excuse for the terrible quality of this month's YM?
What did we get? Silly scratch card, a couple of very thinly disguised press releases dresed up as articles (twisle rig and self wind-steering), one article, on non-sailing spouses that could have been good and wasn't and a very silly question of seamanship.
Come on IPC, cant you do better than this?
 
Hi rhinorhino,

I haven't seen this months, but was seriously unimpressed with last months!! Very little to retain my interest I'm afraid. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

J
 
Unsubscribed from YM at Christmas, one reason being for much the same as comments here.

However like any addiction I still found myself wandering into W.H.Smith(the only place this mag can be bought around here with any reliability) and buying a copy off the rack.

WHS obviously were aware of my dilemma as they have stopped stocking YM at either of their two large stores in this town and the next, so I have been without for three issues now and I am beginning to get used to it

I also get out more and the pile of PBO/YM and Sailing Today is not increasing as it once did!!
 
Even the cover picture is a carbon copy of last month's - exact same yacht, same bow, same person even. Maybe they've spent all the money, or all been concentrating too hard, on Gypsy Moth..

I find less and less of interest in YM these days: the adverts seem to start sooner and sooner. In contrast, PBO has got better and better IMHO.
 
Perhaps no coincidence then that I took a call yesterday from a guy at an IPC Call Centre who, having seen that I was registered on YBW, offered me 6 months subscription to YM for the price of three.

I declined and will continue to take PBO - and enjoy it!

PS - IPC Why not base your Call Centre in blighty? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Only ever buy it if working in the UK or it's available in an airport somewhere, rare these days, I really only buy it as chewing gum for the brain, not a lot of interest in it. Like to see whats available in the chandler bit. If I never bought it again it wouldn't bother me in the slightest.
 
Only just opened my copy. Can't speak for most of the content but I agree about the article on non-sailing spouses. I saw the headline on the cover and thought it might have some relevance to my situation but not a bit of it.
 
Used to buy YM, YW and PBO every month over the past 20 years. YM was full of excellent articles including many based on real life experiences. Sadly like many things in recent years it has been dumbed down to a level where it takes as long to read as the Sun. All this is dressed up in a glossy cover and in recent months a sealed plastic bag with some rubbish giveaway. Total waste of money.
 
Agreed. I recently picked up some old YM's from the club, and they gave me much more reading with better informed articles. Perhaps it is aiming at a different market nowadays, or maybe people have shorter attention spans. The article on non-sailing spouse was a waste of paper....
 
Yup ... took me 3 minutes to skim. Currently a subscriber but based on the last few issues I will not be renewing my subscription.
 
I agree. I was a PBO subscriber but switched to YM, however find YM has no real depth to the articles. Seriously thinking of switching back to PBO. And in this months issue stories of sinking off Scotland, man killed of the East coast trying to get his boat off a sandbank and a small boat run down in the Solent - and here I am trying to build SHMBO's confidence when she comes out sailing!
 
My criticism is with YW. It's becoming less and less relevant as it continues to move up market.

IMHO they should look closely at French magazines especially "Voiles & Voiliers" and "Voile" and "Loisirs Nautiques" the French equivalent of PBO.

The clarity of their presentations is in a different league. Much better illustrations

John
 
[ QUOTE ]
My criticism is with YW. It's becoming less and less relevant

[/ QUOTE ]

You should try living and sailing a cat away from the Solent, or even South Coast.

I did cancel but then my mum bought me a subscription which was nice.

I wrote on the forum last month asking for an explanation to the cons of the leopard 40, not one YM official responded. I know they look here. It appears the customers in this case are wrong. Some intelligent writing please YM, our socio economic group suggests that the average yacht owner should be able to see through scratch and sniff and should also manage some big words and deeper articles.

Surely it bothers the journalists that they are forced to dumb down....
 
I agree in the main with the sentiments expressed above but in their favour I will relate this tale. In a waiting room somewhere I came across an article by Ken Endean on his folding dinghy designs. The follow-up article was in the next issue which I could not get hold of. The mags in question were 6 years old. After various searches of web sites I almost gave up. Out of the blue I got an email from Ken himself. Apparently Jane from PBO had told Sarah from PBO who contacted Paul from YM who knew Ken. As a result I have spoken to Ken on the phone and everything I needed was forthcoming. The grapevine is a wonderful invention.
I think YM, which was once a great escapist read is trying to be too practical while PBO is heading too far upmarket. I run a £5000 boat on a small budget and I need more of a DIY sailing mag. ST tries to do everything and sometimes succeeds, sometimes not. Perhaps an enterprising soul out there could try and fill an obvious gap in the market (at least some of my fellow club members would agree).
 
Hang on - have you bought two Julys. My July has anHR 36 thundering along in fine style and my August has a couple of youngsters jumping from a yacht in a Caribbean location. June was a trad boat with a girl on the pulpit.
 
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