| Sailing SV Delos Brian Trautman Karin Trautman | |||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Occupation | YouTube channel | ||||||
| Website | svdelos | ||||||
| YouTube information | |||||||
| Channel | |||||||
| Years active | 2009–present | ||||||
| Genre | Adventure travel by boat | ||||||
| Subscribers | 823 thousand[1] | ||||||
| Total views | 217.4 million[1] (25 March 2023) | ||||||
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Sailing SV Delos is a YouTube channel that chronicles the travels and adventures of video bloggers aboard the sailing vessel Delos.[2] The boat is owned by Brian Trautman, who sails with his wife Karin Syrén and their daughter Sierra (aka Nugget). Trautman and Karin sailed Delos for many years with Trautman's brother Brady, along with an ever-changing crew, including Alex Blue.[2] The team often invites new crew members aboard for their journeys who contribute to sailing, boat maintenance, and filming. The films include experiences and adventures, which include island exploration, hiking, underwater diving, partying, meeting local people, boat maintenance, and simple day-to-day living, boat repairs, emergency procedures in addition to their experience crossing oceans.[2] Delos has made several ocean crossings, sometimes through heavy weather conditions such as severe lightning storms, and once tackling a 50-knot gale en route to Madagascar.[3]
Background
Trautman grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona with a love of the outdoors, and worked as a diesel mechanic during his high school years, later earning a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington.[4] He worked at Microsoft before starting his own software company but he soon grew tired of 60-hour workweeks.[4][5] What inspired him to think about crossing oceans in a boat was reading the book Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat by Stephen G. Ladd.[4] He spent several years researching and saving money and narrowed down his list of boats to French-made Amel Super Maramu.[4][5]
His first voyage began in 2009 in Seattle, Washington in the United States.[2] He sailed to Mexico where he was joined by his brother Brady, and the two of them along with Brian's then-partner sailed for New Zealand.[4] There he met his future wife Karin Syrén who began sailing with them. In their early days, they often had to work in local marinas to make money for boat repairs and fuel. In 2014, the crew re-thought their business model, and learned how to support their income from YouTube with crowdfunding and Patreon campaigns.[4]
The channel
The Delos team has made more than 300 videos on its YouTube channel. The channel saw rapid growth over the years from 90,000 subscribers in December 2016[2] to 585,000 subscribers as of August 2020, and now has over 772,000 subscribers as of 2022. On Instagram, it had over 170,000 followers as of August 2020.[4] It received 1.8 million views per month in December 2019.[4] A 2019 report in Yachting World magazine suggested that the crew made $14,000 for each video from paying donors, and produced about four videos each month.[6]
The boat
Delos is a 53-foot long Amel Super Maramu, built in La Rochelle, France purchased by Trautman in 2008. It sleeps six people comfortably. From 2008 to 2021, Trautman and crew sailed Delos more than 70,000 miles.[7] As a former electrical engineer, Trautman used his knowledge to make various improvements to the boat[7] — installing lithium-iron-phosphate batteries with battery management system to power the electronics on the vessel, including induction cooktop.[7] The crew has taken numerous steps to make Delos environmentally-friendly.[7]
Philanthropy
The crew engaged in numerous philanthropic endeavors, such as contributing to restoration efforts on the island of Dominica which was ravaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017.[4] In 2019, they donated $50,000 US dollars to various charities such as the Surfrider Foundation which seeks to protect the world's oceans.[4]
References
- 1 2 "About Sailing SV Delos". YouTube.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Staff writers (5 January 2021). "WATCH: This crew has been sailing the world for seven years". News24. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
...Imagine sailing the world, chasing summer ... That's what the crew of SV Delos have been doing for the past seven years ... Brady Trautman, Brain Trautman and Karin Syren ...
- ↑ Harriet Ferris (June 18, 2017). "6 of the best heavy weather sailing videos". Yachting Monthly. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
...Our last example comes from popular YouTube channel Sailing SV Delos, as the crew tackle a 50-knot gale on the crossing to Madagascar. Skip to 8:00 for the stormy stuff:...
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Erin Carey (December 24, 2019). "SV Delos Youtube sailing channel exclusive – behind the scenes with The Tribe: The crew of SV Delos like to party and post videos of themselves at play, but scratch the surface and there is a lot more to find, as Erin Carey reports". Practical Boat Owner magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
...With 360,000 YouTube subscribers, 1.8 million views per month and 125,000 Instagram followers, SV Delos have made a real name for themselves, having crossed every ocean and visited 46 countries with 75,000 nautical miles under their keel...
- 1 2 Wagner, Bill (6 July 2020). "Skipper Brian Trautman and SV Delos of YouTube, social media fame makes port in Annapolis". capitalgazette.com.
- ↑ Elaine Bunting and Terysa Vanderloo (March 26, 2019). "How to get paid to go sailing – 5 different options for living the dream: If you quit your job, could your skills pay for you to go sailing round the world? Elaine Bunting and Terysa Vanderloo explain how it can be done". Yachting World. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
... One of the earliest and best of these is Sailing SV Delos, a core group of four very media-savvy people cruising on an Amel Super Maramu. They make nearly $14,000 a video from 1,800 paying donors, and can create up to four episodes a month....
- 1 2 3 4 Will Bruton (May 17, 2020). "How the crew of SV Delos created the ultimate self-sustainable yacht: Time to upgrade? Will Bruton talks to the crew of SV Delos to discover ways to future-proof your yacht that improve life on board – and are kinder to the planet". Yachting World. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
...When Brian Trautman bought a 53ft Amel Super Maramu in 2008 he had little intention of living aboard for ten years. But after putting 70,000 miles under the keel, visiting 46 countries and creating over 200 YouTube videos on the incredibly popular channel SV Delos he and the Delos crew were considering making a change....