"All Is Lost"

[Joe Montana]

Anybody see the new Robert Redford movie "All Is Lost"? Comments?

[Adamhagan]

Not yet, but its high on my list as soon as the wife issues the kitchen pass.

[tjr818]

Not yet, but its high on my list as soon as the wife issues the kitchen pass.

Adam, are you sure you want your wife to see this movie? I know that it IS Robert Redford, but....

[eb1smith]

Don't go thinking you are going to watch a sailing movie. This is a movie about the exploration of the character with sailing being the vehicle. There a re a lot of errors when you look at the sailing aspect. Some examples would be the fact he does not have a dinghy even though he is sailing 1800 miles off the coast, there is no SSB, he makes an SOS call not a Mayday, there is no GPS on board, and the list goes on.

[rorik]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's been interesting to read what some people think are "errors". And not just on this board....

When I was 16, my father, a navigator and I sailed a 12 ton Gauntlet from Southampton to Le Havre in a gale. We had a binnacle compass, a handheld compass, a depth sounder, a VHF and charts, along with life jackets, harnesses and a flare gun.
No GPS. No SSB. No radar. No chart plotter. No epirb. Not much of an inflatable dinghy. No life raft. No cell phones with the Royal Navy Lifeboat Services on speed dial.
We crossed 120 miles of the English Channel in 19 hours.
Not bad for a 12 ton wooden boat with a 32' LWL.
Maybe we shouldn't have gone..... I mean, the errors...

[Skeep]

South Carolina is not privileged to have this film yet. And I'm not losing any sleep over it either. Agree with all comments, as we can all attest to times of unpreparedness. Of course, in these days of uber-politik sicherheit about everything from eating too much popcorn (the latest trans fat issue) to certificates, licenses, and so forth. We all should take a deep breath and remember this is all Hollywood and the remarkably elastic Redford. Sort of like the recent Captain Philips film, also a Hollywood representation of the real event of which I am privy to direct info yet cannot say more. But it was entertaining!

And, speaking of safety and safety items, I do have a handheld radio aboard my Ty LOL, and just last week got a great little Kyack compass by Ritchie for the hatch cover. By the way, it can be velcro'd to the hatch cover so that no holes need be made in the cover. And it is very large and effective! I like it! So, I did, I caved to technology on my Ty, just a little.....LOL

[Joe Montana]

There are a lot of errors when you look at the sailing aspect.

They could be "errors" -- or perhaps they tell us something about the man.

I went with my son (we are keeping our wives away from it). His comment: "It's as if he drifted off his yacht club mooring and into the Indian Ocean." That might be the whole story.

The list is endless, but for starters: What kind of person reads the labels on canned food as his boat fills with water (did he stock the boat with things he didn't like?). Who doesn't put on a life jacket (or throw one in the raft) -- or at least reach out for the horseshoe ring that's within easy reach as his boat slips slowly below the waves? How about a $250 EPIRB?

I didn't see any pill bottles, but I think he might have been medicated.

[pjust]

My wife and I saw the movie and enjoyed it very much, the numerous implausibilities that have been noted notwithstanding. I thought it was taut, well-paced, nicely shot, and beautifully acted, so I think it's well worth a willing suspension of disbelief.

As someone new to sailing, one thing in the film made me wonder: would you rig a storm jib if you're already equipped with a roller reefing foresail?

The film certainly reinforced my determination to provide my Ty with a handheld VHF DSC and I've been paging back and forth among the four most likely models. Skeep, what did you decide on?

[tjr818]

I look at the "errors" ion the same way we all looked at the cowboy six shooters that seemed to keep shooting forever. It's Hollywood, and it is entertainment.

[Skeep]

The film certainly reinforced my determination to provide my Ty with a handheld VHF DSC and I've been paging back and forth among the four most likely models. Skeep, what did you decide on?

Peter, I decided upon West Marine's VHF 155 Model 12019105, last year's model, got it for cheaper. Always thinking economy you know. You can see it on my blog site being cradled in a generic grey carrier I affixed to the bulkhead where the TY Bell would normally fit onto the teak square. http://baggywrinkles.blogspot.com/

I was sold because it was priced at about 100 bucks on sale, floats, and lights up if it hits the water. Just wondering to myself when I'd be having to be capsized at night looking for a radio? Oh well. Hope that never happens.

[joemerchant]

Saw it, and not super impressed. Lot's of errors and editing mistakes - which are bad when you are going for all visual. Look for a big snatch block on the port side of the boat when it is almost sunk (used to crane it up and down). Also, he is able to get more in that small hanging locker than I have ever seen on boats twice the size. Also, the boat is holed on the side and takes hours to sink once above that line, that is an amazing feat in the middle of the ocean. Wish they filled in the movie a little more like Castaway. Like finding a card in the sextant box. Was not worth showing if we have no idea....

It was still worth seeing, and we were the youngest people in the theater and we are not that young. It should be on pay per view - Vudo, Amazon, etc. in short order as they are not filling seats in the theaters. Here in Dallas, it is playing at 4 theaters.

[Paul D.]

I cannot critique the movie as I have not seen it. I will se it though, as I relate to man against nature, and man against himself themes. And I have heard from friends whose judgement I trust that it is good.

We sailors have to realize if a movie was made specifically for our demographic it would not be a moneymaker. Sorry, we just don't have that sway in the marketplace right now. (Perhaps that's a good thing!) So tech errors will abound. However, I am looking forward to seeing it and then pointing out to anyone who will listen just exactly what I would do differently. Simply because from the comfort of my armchair, I can.

[Skeep]

Paul, good point. In fact, how many people around the world really follow sailing at all? During Vendee-Globe last winter, there were less than 50k who even logged in to track it daily. The Jacques-Vabre (coffee) Transat is going on right now with a paltry 17k Liking on FB. ( If you're interested: http://www.transat-jacques-vabre.com/fr ). I followed daily reports on the V-Globe race at 6am, i.e. 12 noon Paris time every day for 3 months. Now, I poke in to see how V-G winner, Francois Gabart, is doing on the MACIF IMOCA 60 class. Only sailors would understand such addiction!

So, you're spot on. But it is enjoyable to chirp about the movie anyway LOL.

[joemerchant]

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the movie, but even being man against nature, it failed to show an awful lot of what it is really like. I only gave a couple of things in the prior post, but the boat was setup for coastal cruising, and things like sail changes during storms were trivialized, but learning how to use a sextant and celestial navigation and the skippers true lack of preparedness for the sea with not even a handheld VHF or Eprib could make you think he was never planning on returning when he set out for the voyage.

[Gary H]

it's a movie. I hope to see it and enjoy a two hour adventure from the safety and comfort of a padded armchair. Movies, like all stories, are best enjoyed when you don't worry about the inaccuracies.