''Yaahting: A Parody'' was a 1984 parody of the boating magazine genre, most notably ''
Yachting
Yachting is the use of recreational boats and ships called ''yachts'' for racing or cruising. Yachts are distinguished from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. "Yacht" derives from the Dutch word '' jacht'' ("hunt"). With sailboats, t ...
''. It was published by Dreadnaught Publishing,
a short lived
based company. The main publishing staff were: Publisher was
Elizabeth Meyer, Publisher;
Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick (born June 11, 1956) is an American author of history, winner of the National Book Award, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His maritime history, '' In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,'' which tells ...
, Editor-in-chief; Peter Gow, Executive Editor; William Gotha, Design Director; and Bob Payne, Advertising Coordinator.
''Yaahting'' consisted of a number of short pieces lampooning typical examples of nautical journalism: self-congratulatory how-to pieces, "How to Walk Down a Dock," "Restoring the Buzzards Bay 23," and "At Last--A ''Real'' Instant Boat;" fawning interviews of famous yachtsmen, "Hog Wild in Wallenda" and "Tom Blackballer Looks Ahead;" and fatuous cruising tales, "Hearth of Darkness," "Cruising the Persian Gulf," and "A Perfect Cruising World." Other features included reportage on ''faux'' race events ("The Alcatraz 100," "The Flying Squat Nationals," "Going for Broke," and "The ''Inquirer'' Singlehanded TransAt Race") and features on absurd vessels ("Soave 48HRS--The Shape of Things to Come," "Dumpster Ahoy!" and "Hiva-Oa"). A number of the articles were written as specific parodies of the style of popular writers of the era; travel writer Patience Wales was targeted as "Prudence Porpoise," and globetrotters Lin and Larry Pardee became Lint and Berry Nurdee.
Notable in the magazine were the spectacular color photographs, many set up by publisher Meyer and the products of such well-known nautical photographers as Alastair Black, Christian Fevrier,
Daniel Forster,
Benjamin Mendlowitz, Dan Nerney, and Neil Rabinowitz. Artwork included contributions by Jan Adkins, Don Demers, Robert Forget, and Jeremy Ross. Several famous figures in the sailing world of the 1980s served as photographic models, including
Tom Blackaller
Thomas David Blackaller, Jr. (January 6, 1940 – September 7, 1989) was a world-champion American yachtsman, America's Cup helmsman, sailmaker, and racecar competitor. He was a two-time world champion in the Star class keelboat, a world champio ...
and
Robby Doyle.
Included are many photographs of disasters and embarrassments, outtakes from the files of maritime photographers featuring dismastings, collisions, and other examples of bad luck and questionable seamanship. Photographers were eager to find a home for these photographs, which were otherwise unpublishable in mainstream periodicals.
''Yaahting'' also featured nearly a hundred pages of parody advertisements and short articles organized by "department."
Roughly 30,000 copies of ''Yaahting'' were produced and were sold directly by Dreadnaught as well as through bookstores and Nauticalia dealers.
Publisher Elizabeth Meyer went on to restore the
J-Boat ''
Endeavour'', and she is now a principal in J Class Management of Newport, Rhode Island, and of the
International Yacht Restoration School
IYRS School of Technology & Trades (known as IYRS, from its previous name of the International Yacht Restoration School) is a private nonprofit school with a 3-acre campus on Thames Street in Newport, Rhode Island. IYRS focuses on training highly ...
. In 1987 Dreadnaught Publishing also produced ''The
Concordia Yawls
The Concordia yawl is a class of wooden yawl sailboats; it was designed in 1938 by the naval architect C. Raymond Hunt with input from Llewellyn and Waldo Howland, Clinton Crane, Fenwick Williams and Frank Paine.
Earlier that year, the Colin Arche ...
: The First Fifty Years''.
Editor-in-chief
Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick (born June 11, 1956) is an American author of history, winner of the National Book Award, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His maritime history, '' In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,'' which tells ...
is a writer on maritime and historical subjects. His bestselling ''
In the Heart of the Sea'' won the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
in 2001. His book ''Mayflower'' (2006) was a bestseller. Executive editor Peter Gow teaches and has written on educational, historical, and maritime subjects, including a meditation on the educative power of being on the water, ''The Watery Realm'' (2006). Advertising coordinator Bob Payne is a well-known travel writer.
''Yaahting'' was an example of the parody genre that flourished in the 1970s and '80s, inspired by other magazine send-ups produced by ''
The Harvard Lampoon
''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Overview
The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...
'' and others.
References
{{Reflist
Satirical magazines published in the United States
Boating magazines
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1984
Magazines with year of disestablishment missing
Magazines published in Massachusetts
Parodies of magazines
Sailing magazines
Yachting