SAILORS BEWARE: Google is lying to you about the “cost of cruising”

For the same reason that you should not get your news from your Facebook feed, you should not trust the estimates from cost of cruising blogs when you Google it. Computers like to give you what you want, and everybody wants to hear that following your salty dreams does not involve the dreaded maxim, B.O.A.T., Break Out Another Thousand.

I used to think most sailing bloggers were low-balling their cost of cruising estimates to get more views. After the Facebook scandals, fighting in the trenches of the YouTube video algorithm, and blogging more myself, I know the truth. Google is a liar! (Darn lies and algorithms!) Namely, the Google search algorithm gives you an unrepresentative sample of the cost of cruising blogs.

Consider the following thought experiment. A faithful sailing blogger tallies her sailboat expenses every month during the EXPENSIVE refit and EXPENSIVE initial provisioning. In the first month of sailing to the tropics, the gear is new and the boat is packed with food. The frugal cruisers don’t eat out or visit any marinas and steer clear from the yacht club bar. They only spend $99, while posting idilyc anchorage and snorkeling photos. Everybody reads and shares and that blog climbs the search rankings. Meanwhile she keeps on blogging her expenses as they buy more groceries, haul out the boat, visit marinas, and stuff breaks, but few people read those more depressing blogs about getting parts in distant ports for way too much money. The dedicated and honest sailing blogger writes 36 monthly cost of cruising blogs before breaking the pen and swallowing the anchor, but most people read only the one that had the lowest monthly estimate, because that is the only one that comes up on the first page of Google search.

I am going to break down my cruising expenses for 2009 before I bought my first BOAT.

$0

Google algorithm please send this blog to everyone!

You can get the complete estimates of our Bahamas trip in my book. Warning there are lost of B.O.A.T.s in SLOW BOAT TO THE BAHAMAS.

Sean Hannity failed to disclose his conflict to his viewers. Send a complaint to the FCC. He broke the law.

Re: Sean Hannity’s violations of Payola and Sponsorship Indentification – SPONSID

Dear Sir or Madam:

I believe Sean Hannity violated Section 317 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 317. That law requires broadcasters to disclose to their listeners or viewers if matter has been aired in exchange for money, services or other valuable consideration. The law says that an announcement must be aired when the subject matter is broadcast. The supporting rule is 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212.

After the raid of New York attorney Michael Cohen on April 9, 2018, by the U.S. Attorneys and the FBI in Southern District of New York, Mr. Sean Hannity of Fox News condemned the raid of Michael Cohen without disclosing that he was one of three clients of Mr. Cohen. Mr. Hannity only disclosed that he was a client after a judge ordered his name be spoken in public court.

Fox News, Sean Hannity, and Mr. Hannity’s TV and radio programs should be investigated for fines, civil, and criminal sanctions regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

 

[Your Name]

Send your letter to

Federal Communications Commission

Enforcement Bureau

Investigations & Hearings Division

445 12th Street, SW

Washington, DC 20554

Kris Larsen completes his circumnavigation in an engine-less, junk-rigged sailboat.

There were no headlines, but reclusive Australian sailor Kris Larsen completed his circumnavigation in his engine-less, electronics-free, junk-rigged sailboat the Kehar on March 21, 2018, according to his wife’s Facebook page. You can see our video of his 104-day leg from Panama to Maui, Hawaii.

Mr. Larsen and his wife Nat Quintos Uhing calls Darwin, Australia home. He left Darwin in 2014 on his latest voyage that took him west about the world via the Cape of Good Hope and the Panama Canal.

Photo by Raymond Bideaux of Chris Larsen and his wife Nat Uhing on the SV Kehar just outside Haiti.

Sailing Totem completes their circumnavigation in Mexico ten years after leaving Seattle.

Most west-coast based boats first cross their outbound track on a circumnavigation in Mexico. The Seattle based SV Totem and the Gifford family are no different. They announced they had crossed their outbound track near Zihuatenejo, Mexico. Behan Giffords long-running blog caught the imagination of many a sailor. Good for them!

My book studied successful west-coast circumnavigators, and it found most complete a round the world sailing trip in 5.5 years. The SV Totem crew are on slow end of the distribution with 10 years and counting to return to their home port.

Here is a profile done by the Business Insider of SV Totem:

No word if the Seattle based boat SV Delos, Slow Boat Sailing Podcast episode 10 and 33 guests, will be following in their wake next season. Delos, which is in the eastern Caribbean, has been trailing and bumping into SV Totem for a while and has interviewed their crew.

They departed Panama in late March after transiting the canal. Their quick progress to Mexico indicates they may be trying to reach the USA before the start of hurricane season on June 1. Mexico is one of the most active regions for hurricanes in the eastern Pacific. SV Totem saw the devastating category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria pass just north of them when they were cruising the eastern Caribbean in fall 2017. They sustained no damage, and eventually spent much of the remainder of hurricane season which goes from June to November in Grenada. Grenada is considered outside the “box” of hurricane risk for the Caribbean.

Alleged YouTube Shooter “Goes Postal” Over Less Than $2,000 Per Year

It seems “going postal” is not limited to Post Office employees any more.  With millions of creators getting AdSense checks from Google, YouTube pays more people than the USPS. According to her now taken down website and her family, the alleged Youtube shooter was upset about getting ads pulled from her channel and her getting less views on her four YouTube channels in a variety of languages and topics than she used to. According to my estimates Nasim Adhdam, earned less than $2,000 per year making videos on YouTube. That is really not a lot of money to shoot three YouTube employees and kill herself with a handgun as Nasim Najafi Adham did on April 4, 2018, at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.

Before she went on her shooting rampage, she did a screen shot of her four channels below:

For sake of argument, let’s estimate how much money she could have made from ads running on her four channels over her seven-to-eight years of making videos. This is an upper bound estimate assuming that all her videos ran ads. Obviously, she was mad that her later videos did not run many ads.

Best case scenario I think her odd videos could have pulled in $3 per thousand views. Her cut of 55% of ad revenue over 8.5 million views is $13,000. Because she posted about the demonitization, ads being pulled, in 2016 its likely that less than half of those ad revenues were lost (less than $6,500). Its actually, pretty sad that anyone would harm someone else and commit suicide over what they could make from a few months at minimum wage.

My belief is that criminal acts rarely make sense. Searching for a motive in madness is an unsatisfying pursuit.

Above is my take on the tragedy, with more picture and video from her taken-down website and taken down Daily Motion videos.

The definition of a mass shooting varies between four people being killed with a gun to four people being injured with a gun. However, you define it mass shootings are too common in the USA.

 

 

 

TAHUATA: Fixing our SAILBOAT in PARADISE, Marquesas, French Polynesia, Hanamoenoa to Vaitahu S2E9

If you are going to do boat projects, you might as well be anchored in paradise. Hanamoenoa Bay and the town of Vaitahu, Tahuata are paradises just off the beaten path that are often skipped by Pacific Puddle Jump boats. Linus tells you about 5 projects he did in Tahuata while enjoying the island. Tahuata is just a few miles from the dark and crowded waters of the Atuona, Hiva Oa and its anchorage at Tahauku Bay. Hanamoenoa Bay has clear water and white sand beaches which are rare in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. They are also frequented by Manta Rays but Linus did not see them.

Linus visits the town of Vaitahu and its uncrowded anchorage. There is a store and some potable water at the dock, but there is a lot of swell. Landing and launching the dinghy can be tricky. The Walker Bay dinghy get swamps several times while Linus visits the village.

At the end of the video, Linus replaces the belts and the impeller to the Yanmar 3gm30f but forgets to do something at the end.

Subscribe to get season 2 in the crossing the Pacific and sail the Marquesas, Fakarava, and Tahiti.

For a limited time get $5 off your next purchase with SailTimer at the link below:
SailTimer Wind Instrument™: Advanced features, low price.
http://www.SailTimerWind.com/SlowBoatSailing
The SailTimer Wind Instrument™ is a wireless, solar-powered masthead anemometer. It works with lots of navigation and charting apps. You can raise it from deck level if your boat is in the water, and it has lots of other cool innovations too. Check out the web site to see how it works — and get a discount while supporting our sponsor.

We use a Mantus Anchor and swivel on our boat. Get all your Mantus gear at
http://www.mantusanchors.com/?affiliates=15
Mantus Anchors and SailTimer Wind Instrument (TM) are corporate sponsors of this video.
Support us at
http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing
Slow Boat to the Bahamas

Slow Boat to Cuba

and
How to Sail Around the World-Part Time

have been #1 sailing bestseller on Amazon.
Associate Producer, Anders Colbenson
Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com
music by http://www.BenSound.com
Copyright Linus Wilson, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2018

Move Over Sailing La Vagabonde! Dylan Magaster Wants to Be the Top Sailing Vlogger.

Dylan Magaster and his YouTube channel of the same name wants to buy a boat in the Med and take his 368K subscribers with him. You can join his motley crew if you win his video competition.

Sailing La Vagabonde just vacated the Med for the Caribbean as part of their northbound swing to the East Coast of the USA. Sailing La Vagabonde has about 380K subscribers and has the edge on subscribers and of owning a boat. Slow Boat Sailing Podcast episode 10 and 33 guests Sailing SV Delos is also in the Caribbean with a future route unknown, and they lead all sailing vloggers in terms of total views and have over 200K subscribers and climbing:

I think Dylan has zero sailing experience except for the sailing he did with the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast guest, Bobby White, of Sailing Doodles. The video is below:

Dylan is not the first top travel vlogger to switch to sailing and its seemingly more lucrative Patreon audience and ad revenues. The bummer is that owning a boat is more expensive than owning a van or RV, and has a much steeper learning curve. Slow Boat Sailing Podcast episode 48 guests (coming out in May 2018) Gone with the Wynns are sailing around the world in a catamaran after selling their RV.

The Wynns took sailing lessons and paid a captain soon after buying their awesome catamaran. If you are in the market for a sailing catamaran, watch this video FIRST.

P.S. The Cheeky Monkey owned by the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast’s episode 29 guests is for sale in Oz if you are interested. It was a sweet boat from our view just behind it in Papeete Marina in Tahiti!

The Terror on AMC: Northwest Passage Sailing Mystery’s Episodes 1-4 Cliff Notes

Inspired by a true story, The Terror is a suspenseful mystery centering on a Royal Navy crew’s harrowing voyage into uncharted territory as they attempt to discover the Northwest Passage in 1845.

This AMC series comes out on Mondays at 9PM eastern and pacific time. The first three episodes of a ten episode season one have been aired. Will anyone survive to see season 2? We’ll dive into the AMC press kit so you’ll get up to speed on the story and be ready for episode 4 coming out on Monday, April 9, 2018.

Faced with treacherous conditions, disease, limited resources, impending starvation, dwindling hope and fear of the unknown, the crew is pushed to the brink of extinction. Cold, isolated and stuck at the end of the earth, the seamen also face a mysterious threat by something out in the frigid darkness that is stalking their ship, snatching one man at a time and leaving bodies mangled or missing. The Terror is an extreme tale of human survival and a “what if?” of epic proportions, revealing what hubris against nature can cost you.

The real expedition, which led to more than 120 crew members inexplicably disappearing, has warranted a great deal of speculation ever since. Their fate is one of the enduring mysteries of the age of exploration. After almost 175 years of searching, the ships were discovered coincidentally by Arctic research groups in 2014 and 2016.

EPISODE 101: “GO FOR BROKE” Sir John Franklin’s Arctic expedition finds itself within two hundred miles of finally discovering the Northwest Passage when an accident at sea cripples one of its two ships. Sir John must make a difficult choice that could either seal their bid for glory or doom them.

EPISODE 102: “GORE” Having spent a long winter trapped in the ice, spring arrives and an optimistic Sir John sends scouting parties out to search for open water. But one of the parties makes an unsettling discovery and finds itself the target of a vicious predator.

EPISODE 103: “THE LADDER” With the “thing on the ice” now stalking the ships, Captain Francis Crozier tries to convince Sir John to send out a rescue party to attempt to alert the world of their situation, pitting Crozier’s loyalty to his commander against his duty to his crew.

EPISODE 104: “PUNISHED, AS A BOY” With the arrival of another winter, a frightening attack on the ships proves to the men they are not battling an ordinary bear. Whatever is hunting them is cunning, and driving the men to panic. The expedition’s officers are forced to consider that the region’s Inuit culture may hold the key to their survival or demise.