What does it sound like to be on a sailboat out on the open sea? There are certainly waves, wind and sails flapping. My microphones were close to the yacht's bow so very little conversation permeated into the recording from the cockpit. Occasionally you can also hear the resonance of the mast as the wind hits it just right. Pretty sparse and not too varied at first listen, but it becomes mesmerising after a while.
To answer this question and to make this recording, I went on a week-long sailing expedition/artist residency on the yacht Merlin, organized by Sail Britain. My sailing experience was very limited so this trip also served as a crash course in sailing, living at sea and being creative in a new environment.
Not everything went according to plan and I will go into more detail about these events in a blog post soon. Fortunately I managed to capture a few excellent soundscapes and only destroyed a pair of lav mics in the process. The learning curve was steep and there was a lot to take in, but overall it was incredibly enjoyable and exciting.
The sounds of sailing are fascinating, it turns out. The sea is never the same, both visually and sonically. Being surrounded by water feels oddly primal and reassuring even during a storm. Being thrown around the cabin fells slightly less soothing but it's all part of the experience. This weird mix of calm and tension, of continuously falling while never actually getting anywhere is beautifully represented in the rhythm of the waves hitting the sailboat's body and washing over it. I hope a small part of this will translate to you through this recording.
Recorded with Sound Devices Mixpre 6 ii and Sennheiser MKH8020 microphones. Enjoying the videos I upload on here? Feel free to support me by:
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#sailing #oceansounds #wavesounds
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