Dear readers,
When I scroll through my Instagram feed, I see the following practically non-stop: A montage of drone images of an anchored sailing boat, dolphins in front of the sunset, a header from the deck. All accompanied by music that makes you dream and underneath the message: "Others build a house, start a family, sit in an office. And we like this...".
Never before has it been possible to watch so many people sailing as it is today. The social media scene is now huge. Sailing content creators reach an audience of millions. One of the best-known examples is the blue water family of "Sailing la Vagabonde" with around 1.9 million YouTube subscribers. The channels are a mixture of travel blog, reality show and lifestyle vlog. They are successful because they combine adventure, exotic destinations and personal stories. What's more, many of the sailing influencers started out with little or no sailing experience. Just like the four guys in the documentary film "Sailing boys - round the world with zero knowledge", which will soon be released in cinemas. The film is about friendship and growing up, freedom, adventure and a good dose of courage - or naivety?
The lack of a plan makes them more approachable for many "dreamers" and creates a strong message: "If they can do it, I can do it too." - at least in theory. This is inspiring - but also a little problematic. Because like so many things on social media, comparisons not only fuel motivation, but also unrealistic expectations of one's own life. This is because many of the circumnavigator channels tell the same "simple" story: quit your office job, buy a boat, sail around the world. As if it were the easiest thing in the world. The story hits a nerve. The universal longing to break out of ordinary life. Freedom, nature, self-determination. The sailing boat becomes a projection screen for an alternative life.
But the truth is that these people don't just live off sea air and good winds. Most of them rely on sponsors and income from platforms such as YouTube and Patreon - in other words, on a community that supports them. The image of the "cheap life at sea" is therefore only partially true and many of these channels are increasingly becoming marketing platforms. Sometimes the actual sailing content - and the authenticity - is lost in the brand messages. And even if many influencers have taken up the cause of "more reality" - in the end, the algorithm rewards the dolphins in front of the sunset and not the months of repairs. Unless, of course, there's drama. Conflicts, seasickness, storms and emotions always work. And so the algorithm becomes the navigator.
What I find exciting is the question of what effect this portrayal and perception of water sports has on the sailing scene. Do sailing influencers make the sport more popular or do they romanticise it too much? Or to put it more bluntly: people used to learn to sail and then dream of sailing around the world. Today, people dream first - and then learn to sail.
There are no figures to support my thesis, but I believe that sailing is more visible today outside the scene, among the general public, than ever before. Young people are discovering the sport who didn't grow up with it through family and club memberships. Perhaps a romanticised image of adventure is actually at the forefront and interest in the boat and sailing is then just the vehicle. Many of the second generation of sailing digital nomads say that they only got into sailing through these videos. The classic sailing biography is often no longer: Opti, club regattas, first trip, own boat. Rather: Watched videos, bought a boat, learnt to sail. The potential for failure is naturally greater here. The four boys from Upper Bavaria succeeded. The number of people who actually quit their jobs, sail the oceans and make a living from it, at least for a while, is probably negligible. But even if all you end up with is a sailing licence in your pocket and a harbour beer on the jetty at home instead of a coconut, barefoot at the helm, I doubt that anyone has ever regretted learning to sail.
Jill Grigoleit
YACHT editor
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