Have you ever asked yourself something like this: Should I start a YouTube Channel to support my boat-habit? If I chronicle the restoration of an old boat, could it help fund the project? Could I share stories of a big water-borne voyage and add to the cruising kitty? This panel of boaty filmmakers will reveal what it’s like, and share their unique experiences and expertise at the Wooden Boat Festival at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 13.
How many boat nuts plying the waters of the Pacific Northwest haven’t gone hook-line-and-sinker for a few (or a few dozen) of the engaging content producers in modern boat media? I’d wager it’s pretty much all of us, and many may already be familair with presenters on this panel. Whether via YouTube or the short-form social media, this world of digital storytelling via video is an ever-increasing treasure trove of incredible imagery, inspiration, and information—all the “someday” dream-fodder one could hope for and some useful knowledge to boot. Though 48° North’s flagship is a more analog format for storytelling, we get it. We love it too, and have dabbled ourselves.
Oftentimes, these stories come with intertwining throughlines of community connection, creative (and time-consuming) filmcraft, and occasionally commercial influence or intent. Some creators sharing their adventures in sailing, cruising, and boat work partially or fully support the boats and people featured therein.
This panel brings together four filmmakers who will share their experiences with the Wooden Boat Festival audience. All are proud boat-folk with rich histories of boats, sailing adventure, outfitting and refitting. All have shared their stories in video formats with skill and success. And all have adapted their lives and livelihoods, at least in part, to reflect the endeavor to share their boat lives broadly and beautifully.
Come to the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival on Sunday to hear them talk about the many facets of topics like these:
- Their backgrounds with boats, cruising, and adventure
- Their relationship with modern media and their communities of followers
- Storytelling styles via film
- YouTube specifically (and the business and challenges therein), and other platforms
- Ways that their video work dovetails with other careers/funding sources/jobs/projects
- A look ahead to where their adventures and channels may go from here
- Answers to audience questions
THE PANEL
Allison & James are sailors and filmmakers sharing cinematic stories on YouTube, documenting real boat life and adventures in some of the world’s wildest and most remote coastlines. What began aboard their 30-foot Catalina 30, Uintah, with a dream of sailing to Alaska and back, has since taken them across the Tasman Sea and into the fjords and channels of Patagonia. Now, as they transition beyond the boat that started it all, they’re looking toward to an even bigger next chapter of sailing, filmmaking, and adventure.
YouTube: @allisonandjamessailing
Facebook: Allison & James – Sailing Uintah
Instagram: @sailingallisonandjames
Nicholas Verrochi owns MV Argonaut II, a 1922 73-foot motor yacht with a fascinating PNW history. His YouTube channel ties together the history of Argonaut’s storied past with cruising the remote coastline of the waters she used to serve, creating a community that is now supporting her ongoing restoration taking place right here in Port Townsend.
YouTube: @MV_Argonaut
Instagram: @MV_Argonaut
Facebook: Argonaut2
Andrew Tomayko is a sailor, filmmaker and ABYC marine tech. After a decade in commercial filmmaking, he joined the Sea Change crew, documenting a years-long voyage from Florida to the Amazon—an expedition that ignited his passion for sailing and cruising. Since then, he’s sailed his Westsail 32 to Alaska and south to Central America. Back in the PNW, he’s working on impact-driven documentaries, including a NatGeo-supported short on the Ma’amtagila and an upcoming investigative feature. Andrew shares these adventures from his Sceptre 41 in Poulsbo.
YouTube: @andrewtomayko
Instagram: @andrewtomayko
Sea Change Voyage: @seachangevoyage
Meet some amazing people and join the conversation on Sunday 9:30 a.m. at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival on the Cruising Stage. I’ll be honored to sit together and explore these ideas such committed boat-lifers with such fascinating stories to tell who are also such talented creatives.
