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Sailing movies

Sailing films of the year

Sailing movies had a real moment this year and it wasn’t just in Hollywood! From indie flics, to sailing documentaries, to vloggers turned adventure filmmakers, there’s a great lineup of new sailing films across the genre. Here are the sailing movies that made headlines (and a few hidden gems you probably didn’t know about).

Also, if you love sailing movies, get 33% off a Sailflix subscription (Netflix for sailors!) when you subscribe to Waterborne’s newsletter.

sailing movies 2018
Untie the Lines

Untie the lines

Nike Steiger (of White Spot Pirates vlogging fame) has spent the last five years fixing up and solo sailing her 30+ foot aluminum boat Karl around the world. Untie the lines chronicles the many trials and tribulations of fixing up Karl (including hull damage, and engine failure galore!). Nike then sails through the Western Caribbean, an experience which she describes as a, “Roller coaster ride through tears and utter bliss.”

sailing movies
The Mercy

The Mercy

The Mercy recounts one of the most extraordinary and tragic stories in sailing, Donald Crowhurst (played by Colin Firth), a British amateur sailor, inventor and father of four, attempts to become the first person to sail around the world solo and non-stop in the 1968 Golden Globe round the world yacht race. Instead he winds up bobbing in his beleaguered boat off the coast of South America where everything takes a terrible turn for the worse.

adventure sailing movies
Go Fast Go North

Go Fast Go North

A group of four young sailors from BC take on the Race2Alaska a 750 mile journey to Ketchikan, Alaska by human and wind power alone. Also known as the “Sailing Iditarod” or “The America’s Cup for Dirtbags” the film shows the challenges of a sailing adventure without engines or outside support.

sailing films
Adrift

Adrift

The true story of a couple who, having survived a hurricane in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, must find their way back to land on their damaged boat with no way of calling for help. Romance and drama on the high seas! This is one of the few new sailing movies on Netflix.

sailing documentaries
Coyote

Coyote: The Mike Plant Story

A documentary that follows professional offshore sailor, Mike Plant’s solo round the world adventures in the 1980s and recounts strange exploits like his escape from Greek authorities on a drug trafficking charge and time between bars in a Portuguese prison

 

Already seen these sailing movies? Check out our list of sailing vlogs for more screen time inspiration.

 

 

 

 

Tory Salvia

Wednesday 9th of January 2019

If you like longform sailing films - documentaries, how-to sail videos, and boat building/refit videos - now there's a streaming subscription service for you - SAILFLIX.

With content powered by TheSailingChannel.TV and technology by Vimeo, SAILFLIX (https://www.SAILFLIX.com) streams documentaries and how-to's from both old salts and new ones. Learn from old salts like Lin & Larry Pardey, Don Street, and Gary Jobson. Sail with new salts like Canadians Claire Roberge and Guy Lavoie as they transit the Northwest Passage and meet the indigenous people of the North.

SAILFLIX will eventually stream over 500 videos: longform films, series, trailers, and extras as the site publishes its full VOD catalog available on Vimeo On Demand. (See https://vimeo.com/sailflix). And SAILFLIX is actively attracting new content from the best of today's sailor/filmmakers: adventurers, boat builders, and skilled sailing instructors.

Monthly subscriptions are just $9, yearly subscriptions just $90. Every subscription starts with a free 7-day trial. Look for a subscription discount offered soon by Waterborne Magazine.

Fiona

Thursday 17th of January 2019

Great for winter evenings when it's too cold to sail! Thanks for sharing Tory.

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