Changes ahead - your opinions requested! (Patreon)

Hi all,

I just wanted to write a quick update about the boat, the project, and the future of the channel.

Firstly, I’m so very grateful that many of you are continuing to watch and support the channel now that Tally Ho is in the water. Obviously it takes a lot of time, effort and money to both maintain the boat and also to produce content, and you make that possible.

In the near-term, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on Tally Ho. One of the biggest priorities is to remove the rudder and re-mount the gudgeons / pintles to try to ease the steering, which has become a lot stiffer since we launched the boat, probably due to the rudder itself warping a little. It’s now very difficult to move and is part of the reason that the self-steering isn’t working properly.

This will require a haul-out, which will probably happen in the spring. Other jobs on the to-do list include a full paint-job, lots of finish-work, replacing and upgrading the autopilot, designing and making storm-sails, getting various covers made, and a million other things. Some of the jobs are things that we just didn’t have time to do before the shakedown cruise this summer, and other jobs are things that only became apparent as we used the boat. Many of them are important to address before making any big trips.

The truth is that I’m a little nervous about the future of the channel and being able to maintain the boat properly - although my costs are lower now than during the rebuild, I’m continuing to lose a lot of patrons, and viewer numbers on the channel are going down. It still costs a lot to run the boat (diesel, marina fees, haulouts, parts, maintenance, etc), and now I am doing most of the work myself - which is actually extremely satisfying, but doesn’t leave me enough time to create the content that pays for everything.

So, in order to adjust my workload and also to reach more people, I’m thinking about experimenting a little bit with the type of content that I’m creating. I'd like to make both longer and shorter videos, try different editing styles, and have a more flexible release schedule. I’m actually really excited about giving myself a little bit more artistic freedom and seeing what happens - and hopefully it could be beneficial for the channel and the boat as well.

However, the support that I already get from patrons is the most critical factor in keeping the channel and the boat self-sustaining, and it's extremely important to me that you are getting content that you enjoy in exchange for your generous patronage. So, I want to hear what you think!

Could experimenting be a good thing?

Is there anything in particular that would keep you involved with the channel going forward, or anything that might make you lose interest?

Here are a few ideas that I might be able to try if I allow myself more flexibility - your thoughts are welcome on any of them;

- Longer-form videos with less cuts - continuous sailing footage, for example.

- Shorter “how-to” videos about boat-handling or rigging procedures, etc.

- Written pieces with photos

- Finally finding the time to produce t-shirts and other merch

- Releasing videos of public talks or Q&A sessions

Whatever happens, I really do feel like the adventure is just beginning, and I know there are going to be a lot of amazing stories to tell - I just have to settle into a way of producing content that is compatible with living full-time on board, and is financially sustainable.

And finally, I just want to say thank you again for being a part of this ongoing story. I feel incredibly fortunate and grateful to be able to do what I do.

Leo