Boat U.S. - September 2008 - (Page 41)

creen Light”, set to premier on Oct. 17 as a feature length, PG-rated documentary in theaters nationwide. Wilmot, a native of Sydney, Australia, was one of 543 applicants to apply for 15 slots on the Disney boat entered in the 2007 Transpac, a 2,300-mile biennial race that regularly attracts the top professional sailors in the world. “It’s really about life’s first big adventure with your peers,” said producer Morgan Sackett of the project and the resulting film, adding that nearly all the kids came from dinghy and small boat racing backgrounds with no big boat, ocean experience. Many of the chosen crew took a semester off from college in order to participate. Using top-notch coachs such as Volvo Ocean Race veteran Stan Honey, Olympian Robbie Haines of Disney’s Pyewacket Sailing, Inc. and Chuck Hawley of West Marine, Wilmot said the extensive training sessions were actually more grueling than the race. “Everything was hard, and as soon as we got better, they pushed us harder,” he said. “They gave us more and more responsibility and then eventually handed the boat over to us.” 2007 and found it was a light-air affair with winds averaging only 8-10 knots. Nonetheless, a number of squalls hit the fleet with 30-knot wind gusts which livened things up. Postrace reports described the Morning Light crew as one of the best prepared and best trained to participate in the Transpac, which drew 732 starters in 2007. Producer Sackett, who grew up sailing in the Midwest, said in a normal Transpac most racers never even see another competitor once they clear Catalina Island. “We filmed a midocean duel that was very dramatic and very unusual,” he said. Morning Light was in a cat-and-mouse maneuvering game with its closest competitor, Samba Pa Ti, leading them nine out of 10 days, with the two boats racing so close, the Morning Light team could hear the BoatU.S. Magazine September 2008 Photos © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. VIDEO Disney Studios purchased a 2005 Transpac 52 sloop and paid for all the equipment, training and expenses for the race. The 15 young people trained for months and then had to select the 11 who would actually race. Wilmot was elected skipper. After months of training in Hawaii in big winds and waves, the crew started the 44th Transpac Race from Los Angeles on July 15,

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Boat U.S. - September 2008

Boat U.S. - September 2008 Contents Behind The Buoy BoatU.S. Reports Member Forum List Locker Aluminum Can Do Cruising in Crossovers Second Guessing Seasonal Forecasts A Cradle for Your Baby Badlands Boating The Inns and Outs of Penobscot Bay All in the Family: The Butler Did It Stealing Back Peace of Mind DIY Boat Owner Files Good Foundations Boat Smart 2nd Time Around Hot Tips Tangled Line Seaworthy Ask Chuck At Your Service BoatU.S. Exchange Behind the Boat Where Our Flags Fly

Boat U.S. - September 2008

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