Best films and documentaries about sailing
The Yachting Monthly editorial team reveal their pick of the best sailing films and documentaries
WIND (1992)
Cross 1980s America’s Cup sailing with Top Gun, and you get an idea of what Wind is about. Cheesy it may be, but fast boats, high drama, preening egos and the obligatory love interest match genuinely well-filmed sailing sequences for one of the most quotable sailing films of all time. Wind follows one sailor’s dream to reclaim the greatest sailing trophy of them all – the America’s Cup.
MAIDEN (2019)
What is more inspiring than watching Tracy Edwards and her groundbreaking all-female crew in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race? The onboard footage is fascinating to watch, especially their second leg through the Southern Ocean which they won, and is beautifully spliced with interviews with the crew. You celebrate their Leg 2 and 3 wins and feel their pain when gear failure leaves them third in Leg 5 to Fort Lauderdale.
THE MERCY (2017)
Donald Crowhurst’s tragic 1968 Golden Globe Race aboard Teignmouth Electron brought to the big screen.
The sailing is authentic for a Hollywood film. Colin Firth gives a standout performance as Crowhurst, who almost sleepwalks to his fate. Sir Robin Knox-johnston described it as ‘a great film’. What more of an endorsement do you need?
MORNING LIGHT (2008)
Fifteen inexperienced sailors, aged between 18-23, embark on six months of training with the aim to race the TP52, Morning Light across the Pacific Ocean in the TRANSPAC.
It was funded by Roy Disney and remains a stunning testament to the rigours of racing and sailing offshore, and how much can be achieved by young sailors.
THE REAL DEAL (2021)
The late Larry Pardey and his wife Lin inspired thousands of sailors to cruise, proving you don’t need money or a big boat to have a sailing adventure. Made by Larry’s friend, Mike Anderson, The Read Deal focuses on the Pardey’s voyage to and around Cape Horn, against the prevailing winds and currents, in their 24ft engineless cutter, Seraffyn. Along with unseen at-sea footage, the film features interviews with friends and associates, with archival film clips and photographs providing insight into one of cruising’s most influential couples. www.thesailingchannel.tv