To an outsider, competitive sailing seems like a glamorous sport and a pastime for the wealthy and privileged. In the new film “Morning Light,” however, Roy E. Disney shows that sailing is hard, grueling work that can take the lives of even the most experienced sailors.
Disney, an accomplished sailor and the nephew of the late Walt Disney, decided to gather a group of young, talented men and women to serve as the crew of the Morning Light, a 52-foot racing sloop. With the help of some experienced coaches, this enthusiastic group would participate in the Transpacific Yacht Race that begins in Los Angeles and ends in Hawaii.
Disney and co-producer Leslie DeMeuse first sailed in this race more than 30 years ago, which covers a fairly unforgiving 2,225 mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean. As Disney tells the group of young hopefuls in an early scene, one mistake can really put your lives at risk. Disney goes on to say that “I always tell my crews that if you fall overboard, consider it a death sentence.” To keep that from happening, the 15 hopefuls go through intensive safety training along with their preparations for the Transpacific race. As the race draws near, however, four people will have to stay on shore as alternates while the other 11 try to sail for glory. Unanimously elected skipper by his peers, Jeremy Wilmot has the unenviable task of selecting the best possible crew for the Morning Light.
Watching this film is a lot like watching an episode of “Survivor,” but with a very real sense of excitement and danger. You also get to see the less glamorous aspects of spending 10 days on a boat, including body odor, smelly feet and food that Wilmot says tastes like dirt near the end of the race. Since these young people are sharing living space, they have to live out of their duffel bags for the better part of two weeks.
One of the best sailing documentaries ever made, “Morning Light” is so realistic that you may even get seasick watching it.
