YouTube Sailing Channels?

Before we moved aboard Renegade we used to watch a number of sailing channels on YouTube to get cruising tips and to figure out places we wanted to go. We do not get to watch streaming video on the boat because of data limitations. The interesting thing is we have ran across YouTube boats from the channels 59 North, Tula’s Endless Summer, Ryan and Sophie Sailing, and met Bobby from Sailing Doodles while outfitting the boat in Annapolis. The business model on these entities is that YouTube (Google) absorbs almost all the ad revenue so the channels make their living from a crowd source donation site called Patreon. Being in the marina in Rodney Bay this week with WiFi has allowed us to catch up on some episodes so we thought it would be fun to share our current top ten channels in descending order:

#1 Sailing Zatara – This is a very interesting family boat with four kids that have gone halfway around the world two times. The first lap was on a Beneteau 55 on which they learned how to sail. The current boat is a Privilege 585 catamaran they bought in Turkey. The episodes center around the places they visit, homeschooling, technical tips, and useful Q&A sessions. They even have a black & white cat that they have somehow trained to use the toilet (but it cannot flush).

#2 Sailing Yacht Ruby Rose– A wise cracking former dentist Brit and his spunky Australian fiance sail the Atlantic circuit in their cool swing keel Southerly. The interplay between the two is always entertaining. They just completed a season motoring the canals of France and a series on catamaran reviews. They recently inked a big sponsorship catamaran deal so we hope the channel does not go downhill.

#3 Tula’s Endless Summer – A NY guy, a FL girl in their 20’s and their dog cruise the Caribbean in their 40 ft performance cat. They started off working jobs part time and have progressed up from a small Morris monohull and a trawler to the current boat. They are very hands-on getting derelict boats for a low price and fixing them up to cruise. Both are into water sports and have lots of tips on keeping fit on boats.

#4 Sailing Millennial Falcon – A young Australian couple buys an old Tayana 42 in FL and sails the Caribbean on a shoestring budget. These guys go from one major breakdown to another and always seem to come out alive and laughing from the experience.

#5 RAN Sailing – This Swedish couple are hard core sailors with several big passages completed in both the low and high latitudes. They just had a baby and traded up to a larger boat. No problems seem to stress them out and their calm voice overs are so soothing they can put Amy asleep before the episode ends.

#6 Sailing SV Delos – One of the most watched sailing channels with high production standards follows two brothers and ever changing crew on a slow cruise around the world. Brian, the captain, and his wife Karen just had a baby so recent voyages have been led by brother Brady and his hipster crew mates. The technical videos are very informative since they are through the lens of many sea miles of experience.

#7 Distant Shores – Back in the days of pre-internet the only cruising videos around were Distant Shores CD’s from the marine store book section. Now the Shards, pioneers of the genre, have a YouTube Channel. The episodes are very informative and have a cool old school vibe of a corporate training video.

#8 Sailing Doodles – Bobby, the creator, gets a lot of heat because he tends to use scantly clad women to attract viewers to his episodes. If you get past that he is one of the hardest working YouTubers with a second channel called Flying Doodles (he was a pilot). We started watching as he somehow sailed his first boat, a small C&C with his two dogs on board, upwind across the Mona Passage in terrible conditions. Ever since then we have been hooked.

#9 Sailing Yacht Florence – This young British couple probably has the best instinctive sailing skills on YouTube. They even sail their dinghy ashore and we sense they raced a bit in their prior life. Their old 37 foot Oyster is very basic regarding equipment and with a very skimpy budget, they follow the philosophy of go simple, go small, and now. Their episodes with English accented voice overs in exotic locations remind us of National Geographic programs from the 70’s.

#10 Gone with the Wynns– A couple from Texas trades in their RV for a catamaran and starts sailing around the world with their two cats. Like Zatara, the Wynns decided they wanted to see the world by boat, took sailing lessons, and bought a used Leopard 43. The Wynns see themselves more as documentary filmmakers than sailors so their production quality is on a whole different level than other channels. They share great tips on equipment and drill down on the details of their ports of call.

We hope you found this post entertaining. Please leave a comment to share your favorite sailing channels.