YouTube s/v Delos - your opions

[Daydream believer]

Generally young energetic, outgoing, positive people.
Kind of the opposite of the average YBW user in fact

Have not met me yet then

 

[DreadShips]

90% of sailing videos served up to me by the algorithms (I must have clicked on something awful in a previous life):

"I'm going to sail straight from A to B, with no real passage planning, I'm going to ignore every harbour and anchorage along the way that could break it down into sensible legs despite them being right there, and when I arrive after 48 hours on the tiller and having imbibed enough caffeine to see the face of god, I will then whine about how exhausted I am, sleep for five days straight, and then immediately set out on another huge leg because I'm now running late again. I'm also trapped in a passive aggressive relationship with my fenders and hate having to do anything that involves them. And I'll have the engine on the whole time because I get frustrated if I'm going one micron less than my theoretical maximum hull speed, so you'd better like the horrible whining noise it makes. Also please like and subscribe, because since I filmed this video my engine exploded through overuse..."

It's not good for my blood pressure, is what I'm saying.

 

[Stemar]

90% of sailing videos served up to me by the algorithms (I must have clicked on something awful in a previous life):

"I'm going to sail straight from A to B, with no real passage planning, I'm going to ignore every harbour and anchorage along the way that could break it down into sensible legs despite them being right there, and when I arrive after 48 hours on the tiller and having imbibed enough caffeine to see the face of god, I will then whine about how exhausted I am, sleep for five days straight, and then immediately set out on another huge leg because I'm now running late again. I'm also trapped in a passive aggressive relationship with my fenders and hate having to do anything that involves them. And I'll have the engine on the whole time because I get frustrated if I'm going one micron less than my theoretical maximum hull speed, so you'd better like the horrible whining noise it makes. Also please like and subscribe, because since I filmed this video my engine exploded through overuse..."

It's not good for my blood pressure, is what I'm saying.

I get a few of those, but they're easily dealt with. Just click Not Interested - I don't like the video. OTOH, I've also come across a few jewels - Talley Ho, Ran, etc. I find I'm more interested in the build/repair process than sailing, so Acorn to Arabella was one that grabbed me at first, but is less interesting now they're sailing. I don't want to watch other people sailing, I want to do it myself, but boat building that starts with going out into the forest with a chainsaw - fascinating.

 

[Sea Change]

One of the most popular formats on traditional media. What’s the problem with that?

Oh I know it is. And in print form the equivalent is a weekly or monthly column. It's a hugely popular format.

The problem is that there isn't always something worth saying, but the space needs filled anyway.

 

[Daverw]

Yes I agree it would be better if the waited till they have something to say. Ironically I also think some would be better split into two shorter videos as they often seem to drag on a bit. But the length and frequency of the videos is driven by the YouTube algorithm so they can maximise the monetisation. For the big channels filming that, editing it etc is a big undertaking.

Many like Delos I understand pay someone to do the editing, this saves them time and the technical issues involved.

 

[winch2]

Im running at about 80% na. As soon as I see banks of laptops, iPads, GPS gizmos, yards of the latest high end gear, lifejackets, liferafts at the ready I move onto that bloke in a CO26 who always seems to be hanging on for dear life, looking like death and with thousands of miles ahead of him ..And as above, Tally Ho and that crazy Norwegian bloke who actively waits till its blowing a 12 . Fascinating.

 

[dgadee]

I never watch anything like those. I am a text man. Watching anything is so slow! Get on with it, I think. No TV. Took an old boy for a car trip last year and we rented an airbnb with a huge TV set. Nightmare stuff - 30 minutes of someone selling an old car which would have taken 3 minutes to read. I gave up on TV when Newsnight stopped doing analysis and just had that awful Glaswegian girl on it. And can the TV licensing people stop sending me letters, please.

 

[Sea Change]

I never watch anything like those. I am a text man. Watching anything is so slow! Get on with it, I think. No TV. Took an old boy for a car trip last year and we rented an airbnb with a huge TV set. Nightmare stuff - 30 minutes of someone selling an old car which would have taken 3 minutes to read. I gave up on TV when Newsnight stopped doing analysis and just had that awful Glaswegian girl on it. And can the TV licensing people stop sending me letters, please.

It was a life changing moment for me when I discovered that YouTube has a playback speed adjustment option.
I generally use it on instructional videos, playing at double speed while they unscrew six identical bolts or waffle on about why they bought that particular model of widget. Of course I could just skip ahead but that risks missing something important.

 

[ylop]

Many like Delos I understand pay someone to do the editing, this saves them time and the technical issues involved.

Some do (I don't think anyone I follow does - I don't watch Delos). If they are going to use pro-editors my expectation for content, production values and quality of sound/storyline etc goes up. I'll forgive a lot if I think these are amatuers doing their best to fund a lifestyle.

 

[Sea Change]

I think it's only some of the really big channels who have delegated the editing to other people. I know that for Delos, previous crew who had edited and produced videos whilst onboard carried on helping out after they left the boat. Which is a very natural progression really. No idea what the financial side looks like.

As a business, it makes complete sense. The photogenic sailors focusing on 'content' and then send it all to a shoreside editor who likely has far better hardware available.

The great thing is, all of these channels are completely free to view and you can ignore them if you don't like them.

 

[Beneteau381]

Some do (I don't think anyone I follow does - I don't watch Delos). If they are going to use pro-editors my expectation for content, production values and quality of sound/storyline etc goes up. I'll forgive a lot if I think these are amatuers doing their best to fund a lifestyle.

One of their former crew helps a bit but the wife seems to do most as well as Brian. Watch the credits at the end to see who did it.

 

[Gixer]

I generally use it on instructional videos, playing at double speed while they unscrew six identical bolts or waffle on about why they bought that particular model of widget.

Haha, I find it kind of therapeutic and can watch a bloke sand a piece of wood or fiberglass for ages

 

[Steamkettle]

As an instructor I've come across a number of sailors who, when asked why they're doing things a certain strange way, reply along the lines of "because that's what the guy on YouTube said you should do/buy/use". If viewed purely as entertainment YT is fine but some channels take themselves far too seriously. The folks on 'Delos' do at least seem to know what they're doing but some others contain advice that can range from wasting money to the downright dangerous. You've no real idea of the qualifications or experience of those peddling advice or 'must have' bits of kit but its strange how some regard YT as just as authoritative as a professionally validated programme on TV (except the BBC these days, sadly...). The presenters are in the business of making money, getting sponsorship or promoting their lifestyle - and there's nothing wrong with that. The rest of us just need to do a reality check before rushing out to buy or do something just 'cos it was what they did on (insert channel of choice), no matter how many hundreds of thousands of subscribers it has. I've watched with sadness the effect that that 'fame' has had on one particular former TV professional on a certain channel.

 

[ylop]

As an instructor I've come across a number of sailors who, when asked why they're doing things a certain strange way, reply along the lines of "because that's what the guy on YouTube said you should do/buy/use".

Were you an instructor before youtube? I imagine people had a different source of inspiration then - "I read in PBO/YM etc" or "the guy in the chandler/boatshow said" or "my mate Steve who's sailed round the world does it this way" or "the instructor on my last course recommended this" perhaps even "its in XYZ's book". There's never been a promise that TV or Books were presenting the "right" or "best" option for anything, even less so with magazines who's editor has to balance good content with advertising. I can't think of anything I have consciously bought because I've seen someone on Youtube use/do it. I did upgrade to an electric outboard last year - in part because youtube was normalising them, and I watched a LOT of reviews with varying contradictory conclusions to decide which one.

 

[lustyd]

I’ve seen RYA instructors give equally terrible advice. One school boat near us in the marina only ever used two ropes to tie up and whatever the knot was on the pontoon cleats it certainly wasn’t in the syllabus. I’ve also never seen an RYA instructor suggest or allow lines to be coiled in a figure 8 even though it runs more freely that way.
Everyone can give good and bad advice. The onus is always on the receiver to filter out the bad.

 

[dgadee]

I’ve seen RYA instructors give equally terrible advice. One school boat near us in the marina only ever used two ropes to tie up and whatever the knot was on the pontoon cleats it certainly wasn’t in the syllabus. I’ve also never seen an RYA instructor suggest or allow lines to be coiled in a figure 8 even though it runs more freely that way.
Everyone can give good and bad advice. The onus is always on the receiver to filter out the bad.

I used to do a lot of kayaking and it seemed that the worst disasters and accidents usually happened when coaches were involved. Showing off being a particular fault.

Mind you I did run a race where the coastguard panicked and called out a helicopter. We had two police ribs where one broke down and towed the other away (they were part of our cover). The inshore lifeboat (also part of the cover) appeared on the front page of the local newspaper with an "injured kayaker" - who turned out to be on the lifeboat and had slipped off her seat and not kayaking. The BBC ran reports that there were 30 foot waves ... None of the kayakers were injured, they asked me to run it again (no way!) and all significantly improved their skills in waves. They wouldn't have had so much fun if they had been watching YouTube.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

From YouTube Delos opinions to RYA instructor bashing. It has been a while since I have read such thread drift. There are fantastic RYA instructors and coaches, some working at Olympic levels of coaching. I think if there was review of incidents you would likely find that the worst did not involve any coaches by a country mile.

 

[dgadee]

From YouTube Delos opinions to RYA instructor bashing. It has been a while since I have read such thread drift. There are fantastic RYA instructors and coaches, some working at Olympic levels of coaching. I think if there was review of incidents you would likely find that the worst did not involve any coaches by a country mile.

No idea about RYA coaching since I have never done one of their courses. But the well known kayak coach, Gordon Brown (no, not that one) did a piece on coaching and pertinent issues a few years ago: abstract at https://britishcanoeingawarding.org...5-Understanding-Incidents-at-Sea-Abstract.pdf

I think my point would be that watching YouTube is one thing, but getting out and about in your boat in real weather is where you learn how to sail and how to handle incidents.

 

[lustyd]

to RYA instructor bashing

I wasn't RYA instructor bashing, I was pointing out that advice from YouTube is objectively not worse than that from an RYA instructor, just that you need to be able to tell when someone is full of crap.

 

[billskip]

I wasn't RYA instructor bashing, I was pointing out that advice from YouTube is objectively not worse than that from an RYA instructor, just that you need to be able to tell when someone is full of crap.

I can.........