On 12 July, a new sailing film based on a true story will be released in German cinemas. Starring Shailene Woodley (most recently in "The Descendants" alongside George Clooney) and Sam Claflin ("Tribute to Panem"), the film tells the story of a young American couple's misfortune: Tami Oldham Ashcraft and Richard Sharp.
In 1983, the two were caught up in one of the most severe hurricanes in the Pacific to date. While Sharp went overboard, Ashcraft survived the storm seriously injured and was left to fend for herself on the badly damaged yacht. For 41 days, she fought her way back to life and to land.
Trailer of "Adrift"
Ashcraft only came to terms with her tragic experience years later in a book. It is entitled "Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea". It served as the basis for the film. The film, which is known for its high-quality Hollywood blockbusters Tobis rental The high seas thriller tells the realistic story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft and Richard Sharp.
Attention, spoilers! If you want to keep the suspense, don't click on the next page. There we report on the drama of the two sailors on the Pacific at the time.
Ashcraft and Sharp were both keen sailors and spent a lot of time together on Sharp's 36-foot yacht "Mayaluga". When they were offered the opportunity to transfer a luxurious 44-foot yacht named "Hazana" from Tahiti to San Diego in California in 1983, they accepted without hesitation.
On 12 October 1983, they were caught up in Hurricane Raymond on the Hazana. During the worst hours, Sharp sends his partner below deck. When the ship finally capsizes, she suffers a head injury and loses consciousness.
Ashcraft only regained consciousness 27 hours later. The weather had calmed down in the meantime, but the mast had broken as a result of the capsize. Worse still, there was no trace of Richard Sharp. Only the line with which he had tried to secure himself is dangling aft. Ashcraft has to fight for her survival alone.
It was not until 2002 - almost 20 years later - that the book Ashcraft had always wanted to write was published, in which she describes her feelings and doubts at the time - and in which she talks for the first time about an inner voice that she thought was her ghost. In the years before, she says, she didn't have the heart to recall all the terrible images again.
Ultimately, the book helped her to let go of the memories that had tormented her until then and to control them. However, the book is not only important for her, but also for readers. Ashcraft wanted to convey a message: No matter what happens, you should never give up.
This message is timeless, even now, almost 35 years after the storm that killed Ashcraft's lover and proved her will to live. The film revisits the disaster and retells the couple's story. Both the first trailer and the cast make a promising first impression.
Shailene Woodley started acting at an early age. In the film "Fate is a Lousy Traitor", she plays the role of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a cancer patient who falls in love for the first time, and made her breakthrough; she received the 2015 MTV Movie Award for Best Actress for the role.
In addition to the role of Finnick Odair in the Panem trilogy, Sam Claflin also took on several leading roles, such as that of the world-weary Will Trainor in "A whole six months", a former sportsman who is confined to a wheelchair after an accident.
However, this much can be revealed: The trailer for "Adrift" already reveals a deviation from the true story. Although Richard Sharp was probably killed during the storm, he survives in the film, albeit seriously injured. However, the trailer does not reveal how the story ends on screen.
