Dear readers,
Crossing the Atlantic is on the bucket list of many sailors - including mine. This summer I will be sailing across the pond for the first time. Together with my brother. It's an adventure I'm really looking forward to. In addition to the marvellous nature, time for conversations, my own thoughts and lots of peace and quiet!
At the end of February, we reported on the launch of the web series "Mission Unknown: Atlantic". What is it all about? Ten influencers led by Jens "Knossi" Knossalla sail from Cape Verde to the Caribbean. On two boats in a kind of race. The teaser was actually enough to understand and immediately sink this reality trash TV format: inflated drama, screaming and vomiting.
In a fit of boredom, I took a chance and simply switched it on. Perhaps, contrary to expectations, it is amusing?
My personal summary: The crazy influencers are transported to the harbour in Mindelo on Toyota pick-ups, as we know them from civil war scenarios around the world. They include a "monkey on a bike", a tattooed "Willy Whey" and an offspring of the Kelly Family. All living legends in the age of the internet and reality TV.
Before we get on the boats, the smartphones are collected. Each person is given an action cam so that they can film non-stop. After all, every emotion should be captured!
When the rules are presented to the spectators (including the need to utilise the power of the wind), an obviously AI-generated sailing boat is shown. The main including boom replaces the headsail. Trade wind sailing with a difference, you never stop learning.
The first day of sailing begins with vomiting and ends the same way. The next one too. Every vomit is mercilessly filmed and perfectly documented with sound. These endless scenes are reminiscent of the Surströmming tasting videos on YouTube. The more they break and choke, the more heroic the self-sacrificing protagonists become. You really look forward to the ad breaks. Whether Ben & Jerry's feel well represented with their ice cream, including brownie pieces, is questionable in retrospect, however.
Not much more actually happens. Ok, once a shackle breaks or a tiny hole is discovered in the sail. And "Knossi" talks seriously about the first time he felt a bowel movement on a ship. "Brutal madness", "mentally ill", "Atlantik Du Wi(x)er" ... fans of vulgar language get their money's worth. The only ray of hope is a young female surfer who is clearly enjoying the trip and comes across as likeable. Otherwise, pure embarrassment.
With two professional skippers and an "onboard reporter", eight people squeeze onto each of the 44-foot yachts. It's really quite cramped and I wouldn't be able to fit ten horses on one of the two boats. If the crews actually make it to Martinique without going mad, that would be quite an achievement.
When some pale influencer once again asks why he's actually doing this, I pass the question straight on to myself and end the experiment. Out. "Mission: cancelled"
Conclusion: I've never seen anything more turning you off when it comes to sailing. No non-sailor will ever be inspired by it. This is deliberate anti-advertising for the sport of sailing. But it's all very well, because I don't want to meet people who celebrate something like this on the water - whether it's the Atlantic or the Steinhuder Meer.
Morten Strauch
YACHT editor
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