Sailng Movies for Cabin Fever

[dlandersson]

Not as streaming video it isn't.

All is Lost with Robert Redford. Available on Netflix.

[Russ]

Not as streaming video it isn't.

All is Lost with Robert Redford. Available on Netflix.

We watched it streaming on Vudu a week or two ago. Love Vudu, pay as you go rentals and stream in HD 1080p with 7.1 sound.
http://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content/484602/All-Is-Lost

It was a good movie. As a sailor, I saw a lot of flubs in it. Almost zero dialog which made it a more interesting movie and probably a challenge for Redford. Still well worth the watch.

A good read is "Adrift". A story about Steven Callahan's 76 days at sea in a life raft after his sailboat sank abruptly. I learned much about the effectiveness of EPIRBS and signal flares not being spotted by ships. This was something shown in the "All is Lost" film as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Adrift-Seventy-si ... 0618257322

--Russ

[1-Tntimbo]

Check out "All Is Lost"!

[J--]

I have been watching Black Sails on cable. It's a little cheezy, but it's also pretty good. And no, I'm not just watching it for the gratuitous nudity, though that doesn't hurt.

It's pirates in Nassau in the early 1700's....so, it's better than watching the snow outside.

[dlandersson]

Just caught "All is lost". Good movie. I got the impression that RR was shown as "on-the-spot" resourceful, but not necessarily given to thinking thru his situations.

Another takeaway - buying the cheapest rescue gear to "check the block" may be the most expensive mistake you can ever make.

All is Lost with Robert Redford. Available on Netflix.

[mastreb]

Just watched "Deep Water" on Netflix--holy cow, it's the best documentary I've ever seen, one of the best movies, and Shakespearean in its tragic depth. And it's 100% true and made with mostly period film.

Amazing.

Matt

[dlandersson]

Just watched "Black Sails" (first 3 episodes). Good winter entertainment.

I have been watching Black Sails on cable. It's a little cheezy, but it's also pretty good. And no, I'm not just watching it for the gratuitous nudity, though that doesn't hurt.

It's pirates in Nassau in the early 1700's....so, it's better than watching the snow outside.

[Mac26Mpaul]

My two all-time favs are still:

Dead Calm - here's a bit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVq6IVYmcSs

and Riddle of the Sands - full movie here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQMdGfNTJvw

[Chinook]

I found a lot to like about All Is Lost, in its depiction of off shore sailing and response to emergency. My two critiques are the number of flares available, and no hand held VHF. I suspect that most of us, even on our little boats, carry more than 3 spare aerial flare cartridges. I accumulate the out of date ones, and store them in a separate container. Also, I expect that nearly all of us have a hand held VHF in addition to a fixed radio. Redford would have had a much better chance of contacting nearby passing boats if he'd had a hand held along with him.

[dlandersson]

Really enjoyed Riddle of the Sands. Nice that the boats claim to fame is its centerboard - allows for shallow water sailing.

My two all-time favs are still:

Dead Calm - here's a bit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVq6IVYmcSs

and Riddle of the Sands - full movie here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQMdGfNTJvw

[dlandersson]

Chicago sailing update: There isn't any.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi- ... photo.html

I appreciate the general concern to prevent terminal boredom, but it has been in single digit temperatures here in Maryland the past few days. I do not think I really want to watch a movie about a bunch of guys freezing to death And starving.

[K9Kampers]

Since we're talking about seasonal diversions, does anyone know of any sailing / boating related interests on western Long Island that I might consider visiting while I down here?

[tek]

I finally watched "All is Lost", and kept thinking it was a terrible representation of sailors, and an excuse to show someone using the emergency equipment on board. (Terribly limited as mentioned earlier in the thread)

I realize quite a bit of the movie was director's prerogative, but there are questions. I'll wait before posing those questions to avoid spoilers, or do we have a specific way to 'hide' or make spoilers optional on this board?

[Tomfoolery]

On other (non-sailing) fora I'm on, folks usually just put *Spoiler Alert* in the title, or at the top of a post with some white space. If you don't want it spoiled, don't read it, but at least there's warning.

[tek]

Sounds like a plan... so...

Regarding all is lost
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Sailors in my experience are well known for improvisation.
Items that bothered me about the movie... ( and I understand its directors prerogative.)

1. Why wasn't his first priority to patch the hole? There is always plenty of material and hardware to patch with on a boat... sacrifice the dinette or part of the galley or something that isn't required to keep you afloat. Bolt or seal a panel of some sort over the hole. There are many ways to do this. I'm also assuming he had tools on hand, because if he didn't he shouldn't have gone far from shore in the first place.

2. It is an ocean going boat.. why wasn't there any sign of an automatic bilge pump? Nobody in their right mind should think they can have enough energy, speed, and stamina to empty a boat with a single manual pump. A bucket improvised from any container on board would've been more efficient (move more water with less energy) until the water was low enough to need the pump.

To me it basically made single handed sailors look like they are buffoons completely dependent on whatever system was already built into the boat and unable to think of more creative solutions, which from the appearance of the movie, the main character had plenty of time to think of and implement a variety of solutions. What was mentioned above was just the very basic priorities.

It wouldn't surprise me if movies like this caused the implementation of new laws or insurance rules as a knee jerk reaction to help save people from their own mistakes.

In summary, I found it an unrealistic representation of someone who actually sails. The main character's behaviors did not appear to me to be those of someone who has spent a lot of time sailing, which makes the movie less believable.

On the upside, I commend them for bringing more attention to the problem with depending on flares, especially near shipping lanes where those large ships use an auto-pilot and aren't really watching anything. This has contributed to some boating accidents and collisions in the recent past where the big freighters didn't realize they hit anything, or anyone.