THE LAST SAILORS:
THE FINAL DAYS OF THE WORKING SAIL
3 x 52’
“Here you will find the true saga of sail – largely unfamiliar and overlooked. It is some cause for rejoicing that some record of
these wonderful “old ment of the sea” has been preserved…”
Orson Welles
‘The Last Sailors’ is about the men who, with their ancient craft, still
harness the wind and the sea for their livelihood. Narrated by Orson Welles.
During a two-year voyage, travelling roughly 25,000 miles through the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, Neil Hollander and Harald Mertes filmed a vanishing breed of sailors and craft.
These men, who harness the wind and sea to gain their livelihood, are on the verge of extinction, often being left behind in the wake of technology, and yet in some of the farthest regions of the
globe – from China to Indonesia, from Egypt to Brazil – vestiges of this traditional way of life remain.
In this fascinating and evocative programme, the filmmakers they succeed in capturing the spirit
of a bygone era when men set out under sail to explore and trade.
"This movie is a piece of living history that is rapidly vanishing. For anyone interested in maritime history this movie takes you back to the days of sailors that worked with the wind. The
cinematography is stunning. These are not finely kept yachts with exquisite bright work; they are working boats that real sailors make their living from."
Programme 1: THE INLAND WATERS; BOLIVIA; EGYPT; MALDIVES; BANGLADESH
Programme 2: COASTAL WATERS; CHILE; BRAZIL; SRI LANKA; BAY OF BENGAL
Programme 3: THE HIGH SEAS ; GULF OF MANAAR; SOUTH CHINA SEAS
Producer: Adventure Film Productions.