Ok its not a TV show but if you want a sailing moving picture experience that will motivate you to harness the wind and race for the gold, the 1992 Mathew Modine/Jennifer Gray film "Wind" is the standard bearer for good sailing TV.
The story centers around the US fall from grace in 1983 as the world champs of competitive sailing at the America's Cup only to be reborn with vindication by Dennis Connor's Stars and Stripes in the 1987 series. No doubt a harbinger of things to come for the sport which has seen massive declines in participation since the Reagan years. But the story is a classic American underdog tail of loss, resurrection and cosmic fairness. America always wins in the movies right? Well this is where the movies got it from, because it happened for realzies in 1987.
With a pre-nose job Jennifer Gray who rocks the one design world and steps in as a top notch tactician on a 12 meter, the film states an inherent truth in classic Americana brevado,"The Big Boats get the Glory, but the small boats make the sailor" . Apparently back in the day they didn't care about your physical prowess because today on the America's cup circuit you have to be on par with top notch pro male athletes to compete and the sailors look less like Modine and more like Jason Momoa.
But in this film a mushy Matthew Modine captains with a mousy yet fiery tempered Jennifer Gray as tactician (also a love interest) to beat the big bad Australians despite their unsportsmanlike spearing of the American's bug-wing inspired asymmetric spinnaker called the Whomper. These events plus a good portion of the rest of the film are true tales of the the real 1987 competition which is a totally cool look into the modern history at the end of the monohull era in the America's Cup.
This movie came out in the waning days of my youth just as I was preparing to sail for the US Coast Guard Academy and at time when I still had promise to sail on the big boat circuit. I did get a chance for a couple years to play on the big boats and this movie provided all the context I needed to pursue my racing dreams.
But alas, a dislocated knee and the economic reality that I didn't come from money ended my racing dreams and a bout of C-DIF ended my dreams to be a US Coast Guard Officer. But to this day, this movie can stir the echoes of youth and make my soul yearn for the Fabulous 80's when the dollar was strong and the boats were monohulls.
What makes it a great sailing movie though is the reality they impart through the sailing. Its almost like you're on the damn boat while they are sailing and its beautifully shot.
As Wikipedia reports, "America's Cup skipper Peter Gilmour, whose aggressive sailing during the 1987 defender selection series earned himself a place on the defender boat for the America's Cup, was "Sailing Master" for the film." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_(film)
It really does tell the story of big boat racing in all its patrician glory albeit with a distinct Cold war American superiority complex and it is for that reason I love this movie.
Its about a time when America really was the best if just for one race and it proved that we were God's own chosen people showing that the non insider American mutt can beat their way into the upper echelon of Capitalistic Nobility across Nations and time to be champions.
Perhaps though it was the myopic political undertones of the film and the distinct air of superiority that lead this film to bomb gallactically in US theaters and score just shy of $100K in Australia. Despite a dozen 12 meter boats, two hours of film shot in Australia and Rhode island and team of sailing insider consultants to tell it how was, it didn't make anyone any money.
But that doesn't matter to those of the sailing class. Where it lives and reigns supreme in the hearts and minds of 8 year old Opti sailors and their 16 year old coaches who all still hold the dream to be professional sailors some day. And it will always hold the heart strings of the old men like me who remember those days fondly and dream about once again setting sail on a beautiful boat in beautiful port of call to win the cup for America. Ah the dreams of the movies.
The story centers around the US fall from grace in 1983 as the world champs of competitive sailing at the America's Cup only to be reborn with vindication by Dennis Connor's Stars and Stripes in the 1987 series. No doubt a harbinger of things to come for the sport which has seen massive declines in participation since the Reagan years. But the story is a classic American underdog tail of loss, resurrection and cosmic fairness. America always wins in the movies right? Well this is where the movies got it from, because it happened for realzies in 1987.
With a pre-nose job Jennifer Gray who rocks the one design world and steps in as a top notch tactician on a 12 meter, the film states an inherent truth in classic Americana brevado,"The Big Boats get the Glory, but the small boats make the sailor" . Apparently back in the day they didn't care about your physical prowess because today on the America's cup circuit you have to be on par with top notch pro male athletes to compete and the sailors look less like Modine and more like Jason Momoa.
But in this film a mushy Matthew Modine captains with a mousy yet fiery tempered Jennifer Gray as tactician (also a love interest) to beat the big bad Australians despite their unsportsmanlike spearing of the American's bug-wing inspired asymmetric spinnaker called the Whomper. These events plus a good portion of the rest of the film are true tales of the the real 1987 competition which is a totally cool look into the modern history at the end of the monohull era in the America's Cup.
This movie came out in the waning days of my youth just as I was preparing to sail for the US Coast Guard Academy and at time when I still had promise to sail on the big boat circuit. I did get a chance for a couple years to play on the big boats and this movie provided all the context I needed to pursue my racing dreams.
But alas, a dislocated knee and the economic reality that I didn't come from money ended my racing dreams and a bout of C-DIF ended my dreams to be a US Coast Guard Officer. But to this day, this movie can stir the echoes of youth and make my soul yearn for the Fabulous 80's when the dollar was strong and the boats were monohulls.
What makes it a great sailing movie though is the reality they impart through the sailing. Its almost like you're on the damn boat while they are sailing and its beautifully shot.
As Wikipedia reports, "America's Cup skipper Peter Gilmour, whose aggressive sailing during the 1987 defender selection series earned himself a place on the defender boat for the America's Cup, was "Sailing Master" for the film." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_(film)
It really does tell the story of big boat racing in all its patrician glory albeit with a distinct Cold war American superiority complex and it is for that reason I love this movie.
Its about a time when America really was the best if just for one race and it proved that we were God's own chosen people showing that the non insider American mutt can beat their way into the upper echelon of Capitalistic Nobility across Nations and time to be champions.
Perhaps though it was the myopic political undertones of the film and the distinct air of superiority that lead this film to bomb gallactically in US theaters and score just shy of $100K in Australia. Despite a dozen 12 meter boats, two hours of film shot in Australia and Rhode island and team of sailing insider consultants to tell it how was, it didn't make anyone any money.
But that doesn't matter to those of the sailing class. Where it lives and reigns supreme in the hearts and minds of 8 year old Opti sailors and their 16 year old coaches who all still hold the dream to be professional sailors some day. And it will always hold the heart strings of the old men like me who remember those days fondly and dream about once again setting sail on a beautiful boat in beautiful port of call to win the cup for America. Ah the dreams of the movies.
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