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Disgusted from Kent |
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
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Topic: Disgusted from Kent Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 11:15am |
I've moaned enough here but, don't you think you're missing a trick with your testing?
This Hadron test, it's barely 500 words, hardly worth Toms effort if all he's going to be constrained to is one double spread and 500 words and certainly not worth me paying $6.50 for. Ignoring a bunch of old AC news and lead mine paraphanalia I really have no interest in. So what is the history here, in all other equipment sports, testing is one of the principle reasons folk buy magazines, why so few dinghy tests and why not test them against each other for added spice, then why not once a year an annual with all the tests in it, then a mega test with every test you've ever written, useful to newcomers wanting to buy second hand. If ever a license to print money that would be it... |
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Thunder Road
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Jun 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 372 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 12:23pm |
I think you have a point, boat testing, comparison and fitting detail was a Y&Y strength. I well remember Pit Stop doing a series of photographs on a very elegant International 14 with lots of new ideas on it, it was mine and I was just so happy. I'm sure we can go back to that, if we ask politely, after all we might make useful suggestions but we know that compared to other countries we are very lucky to have Y&Y Nothing beats an evening in front of a log fire with a black labrador on your feet, sipping a brandy and babycham, thumbing through the latest issue
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Finn GBR16 Thunder Road.
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craiggo
Really should get out more Joined: 01 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1810 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 2:17pm |
I concur Graeme old chap!
To me the magazine is gradually shrinking in terms of useful content while the page count stays the same. Basically more adverts or more full page adverts seem to be creeping in. The result is that the useful articles are being condensed to the point where they dont actually say anything useful anymore. I fully agree with your comments on the other thread, that the comparative boat reviews would be better, and have long promoted this but Y&Y seem not to want to go there. Really how hard would it be to go to Burghfield or some other large venue where a new manufacturer is testing his wares on a Sunday and grab a handful of sailors from other similar classes, and get them all to swap around and collate their views. Write that up and it would be of significantly more value than the current write ups. Thunder Road you are also on the money. Boat park bimbles on all sorts of classes are becoming more and more secretive to outsiders. Why not do a monthly indepth report into a particular arrangement on a given class of boat. Everyone was banging on about the canting rig on a merlin a while ago but nothing got reported, there are all the various T-foil solutions on 14s and Cherubs that can be investigated, described and the relative merits discussed. As I write this, its suddenly dawned on me. Not only are the dinghy manufacturers turning their backs on dinghy racing in favour of producing plastic tupperware boxes for beach holiday resorts, but now our magazines are dumbing down to accomodate the once a year tupperware sailors in finding the right woolly hat, rather than actually giving the established dinghy racing community the information it wants. Sure there is a balance, and yes I am over-egging the point but I do think Y&Y needs to carefully re-balance its cuustomer focus or it'll start loosing subscribers. Alternatively Mark will have to make this website, what the magazine is not! |
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mongrel
Far too distracted from work Joined: 27 Aug 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 304 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 2:18pm |
The quality and content of the mag has hit an all time low and I won't be renewing my subscription.
Not long ago, we had Dinghy Sailing magazine which Y&Y took over, then Y&Y went from 2 weekly to monthly. Roll tacks used to be a double page every 2 weeks now its one page once a month.
Last months clubs & classes was only 4 pages, it included, Fireball Nationals, SB20 nationals, Optimist nationals, B14 worlds, Firefly nationals, Flying 15 nationals, National 18 nationals, Squib nationals, 420 nationals, J24 nationals, Contender Worlds, Enterprise nationals, OK Europeans, and on an area the size of a postage stamp was the D-one nationals. Yes all of that and a bit more was on 4 pages. There was no top 10 results, gear guide, etc.. like there used to be. In the old mag, bits like the Optimist/Fireball nationals would of had a double page.
Rubbish!
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yellowwelly
Really should get out more Joined: 24 May 13 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2003 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 2:38pm |
I think he already has, plus some! And whilst the forum might generate some conflicting opinions, in the main the advice is very sound. Check out this thread today... we've all been very helpful, probably because the question was raised openly and honestly and responding appropriately is the right thing to do.... (we should all pat ourselves of the back ) Edited by yellowwelly - 04 Oct 13 at 2:39pm |
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NickM
Far too distracted from work Joined: 27 May 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 328 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 2:41pm |
I agree with a lot of these sentiments too. More comparative dinghy tests would be excellent. But I guess we have to recognise it is not a specialist mag about dinghy sailing, as much as many of us would like it to be.
It's not all bad. I welcome the return of a review of sailing clubs and the "Sailor of the month" is a nice one. I would certainly like to see more, longer articles from Andy Rice on what is happening across the dinghy racing scene. How about an article on the "top ten" dinghy stars looking focusing on those guys and gals who tend to prop up the front of the fleet in lots of different class' nationals champs? Also more on rules and tactics, which would appeal to racing sailors of all types. |
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tgruitt
Really should get out more Joined: 02 Dec 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2479 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 2:46pm |
Edit:
Edited by tgruitt - 04 Oct 13 at 3:28pm |
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Needs to sail more...
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 2:56pm |
Time to relaunch Dinghy & Boardsailing methinks, none of the windsurfing press cater for inland or racing windsurfing these days, they're pretty much all wannabe wave & feestyle only which of course such a huge sector of their population can practise - not.
No need for it to be print, hell it would be easy for a man who once not only wrote the mag by typing it into a 1st gen electronic typesetter, but then made the plates and printed it on a Rotaprint than folded and bound it himself, where he got the time I'll never know... |
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 3:18pm |
I'd really like to see an in depth write up of the C Class Little Cup. Not the racing so much - we can get that on this website and others, but a really good look at the boats, with interviews with the foil makers and especially the designer of Groupama's canting rig, which seemed very well sorted indeed.
Once that one is out of the way, then move on to another class with innovations, when it coincides with an event. The European lake boats are pretty fascinating, as are the 22sqmetres, so it isn't just dinghies that interest dinghy sailors, provided it is in depth. It is the background on events, people and classes that magazines can do better than the web. Plain news tends to be out of date and read by many already. Things that you can go back to over and again and study, but are moving forwards (so need to be done faster than a book can manage) would seem ideal for a monthly mag. If it needs dumbing down for the less involved, then use side bars for the basic stuff, with pretty pictures to look at, but please, please have stuff in there that will educate even those with sailing and boats in their blood. Some of the people related stuff has been pretty good from this point of view, and I can understand why you usually choose yotties - the tactician on a yacht doing big events, say, will have an interesting background generally, and also have a lot to say about how the big teams are run. Of course, all this is harder to write, more expensive to put together, than re-hashing press releases on new yachts that aren't actually built yet or writing about yet another holiday resort, but it would make for one hell of a better magazine for real sailors. |
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Thunder Road
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Jun 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 372 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 13 at 3:31pm |
I'm going to sound really ancient, but in 1976 (I was only a lad) I remember Bob Fisher coming down to the Prince of Wales Cup in Falmouth just to report on the International 14s for Y&Y and may be the Times(what happened to their sailing reports?). This led to a 2/3 page spread, lots of pictures ,gossip, kit used and bimbles. I guess Y&Y do reader surveys and that tells them what is required, but I have wondered why they do such a great job at the Dinghy Show but have so little coverage and photos of the boats on display?
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Finn GBR16 Thunder Road.
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