Even though the days are getting longer again, the dark season is not quite over yet, and there is still some time to go before the regular sailing weekends. For many, sailing on the screen is therefore a fixed part of the ritual winter programme. Many a classic is in the repertoire, the multi-part "The Riddle of the Sandbank", for example, with its minute-long sailing sequences conveys a real on-board feeling and can be spread over several evenings. Reason enough for us to give some recommendations as to which moving images of sailing provide a great cinema experience and make you look forward to the summer - not least because they include some current productions for the major streaming services that are well worth seeing. With the right technology, they can even be watched on board later when it's still so cold in the evening that après-sail takes place in the heated saloon rather than in the cockpit.
Well-known sailing films such as "Wind", "The Sea Wolf" and "Styx" are joined by new releases that also have what it takes to be labelled classics one day. For example, the documentary of the "Maiden" story or Jessica Watson's round-the-world voyage. And while a few years ago DVDs were the medium for sailing films, many can now be viewed on the Internet. And even free of charge. A search on the video platform YouTube revealed an astonishing range of films, some of which are recommended on the following pages. For example, the portrait "Sir Robin Knox-Johnston: Sailing Legend" or the documentary film "Relentless" about Alex Thomson. The YACHT tv YouTube channel is also well worth a look. There are now over 900 videos on a wide range of sailing-related topics. Have fun with the final spurt to the upcoming sailing season!
New sailing films to stream
True Spirit
On 18 October 2009, 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson set off from Sydney on a non-stop circumnavigation. She arrived back there three days before her 17th birthday on 15 May 2010. A year ago, Netflix released the film version of this extraordinary story of Watson, who set sail as a girl and returned as a woman. With tenacity and an iron will, she fulfilled her lifelong dream, sailed non-stop around the world as the youngest single-handed sailor to date, passed Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope and overcame setbacks. The feature film is based on Watson's book "True Spirit".
Deep Fear: Dive for your life
After a storm, Naomi, an experienced circumnavigator and diving instructor, rescues two shipwrecked people from distress at sea. She herself dodged the storm and deviated from her route. The crossing on her 47-foot-long "The Serenity" was only supposed to take three days. The two rescued men turn out to be narco-gangsters who force Naomi to dive for a shipload of cocaine. As the wreck lies in the hunting grounds of dangerous sharks, their task is anything but safe. The one-and-a-half hour film is rated 16+ and was released in cinemas in October. It can now be watched on Netflix. It is also available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Films and Series and for a fee on YouTube.
A Voyage of Discovery: The Ocean Race
The three-part documentary sheds light on The Ocean Race 2022/2023 from the perspective of four protagonists. These are Charlie Enright, skipper of the 11th Hour Racing Team, Paul Meilhat, skipper of the "Biotherm", Rosalin Kuiper, then still a crew member of Team Malizia, and Annie Lush, who sailed for Guyot Environnement - Team Europe. The series, which can be streamed on Discovery+, provides a fantastic insight into the inner lives of the main characters. Rosalin Kuiper was quoted before the premiere as saying: "I shared my feelings and thoughts with the producers as I would with my family. That was something special." Highlights and twists of the race are well worked out, such as Charlie Enright's home victory on the leg to Newport or the fast refit of the "Guyot".
Maiden
The documentary, which can be streamed on RTL+, shows how an all-female crew took part in the Whitbread Round the World Race for the first time in 1989/1990. Under the command of skipper Tracy Edwards, the team, which is only ridiculed by the general public, first has to prove itself. The sailing film tells the story of the women's crew's touching journey with the help of archive footage and interviews with contemporary witnesses. Real contemporary history - because while their male opponents are questioned about regatta strategies, the reporting on the crew of the "Maiden" focussed on the possible catfight on board and their outfits.
Classic sailing films on DVD
Reports on Youtube
YACHT tv on Youtube
