 "One
of the reasons I wanted to sail east-to-west around Cape
Horn was to take video shots proving that small vessels
can safely weather storms if they are well outfitted and
efficiently handled," Larry Pardey stated after his
record-breaking voyage. Lin and Larry completed their
against-the-wind rounding of the Great Southern Capes on
board their engineless 29-foot Taleisin earlier this
year, weathering nine days of storm-force winds to reach
Puerto Montt in Chile. There they interviewed several
high-latitude voyagers, prepared the narrative, and shot
further detailed footage to complete the Storm Tactics
video, a project Lin and Larry conceived almost ten
years ago.
"Too many people see their cruising
dreams derailed because of their fear of storms.We
wanted to product a program that encouraged people by
giving them a plan of action-one that showed storm sails
working and a small boat coming through some major blows
without drama or damage. Even more important, I wanted
to show how the sailor's safety valve--heaving-to-works,
and the slick it creates. It's hard for people to
imagine the almost magic effect of a slick as it saps
the power of breaking waves," Larry says. "Now I have
video to show it."
 When
Lin and Larry began editing the final program in New
Zealand, their work caught the eye of television
director and editor Chris Gurr, who added his artistic
talent to the project. Working with team New zealand,
Grant Dalton and the late Sir Peter Blake, Chris has
created several award-winning sailing programs that have
aired in eleven countries.
Additional footage for this 90-minute
program has been provided by Australia's WinzTV. Their
dramatic images include aerial and off-the-boat views of
small boats sailing in 70-know winds (Force 12) in the
Bass Straits, north of Tasmania. "It is important to
encourage sailors to take a 'can-do' attitude when they
encounter storm-force winds," says cameraman Peter
Harmsen, who was in the helicopter during the infamous
1998 Sydney-Hobart Race. "These pictures do just that."
Figuring that many sailors will want to
carry Storm Tactics on board and view it on their laptop
computers, the Pardeys have produced the program in both
VHS and DVD formats. "This program is designed to
illustrate and expand on our Storm Tactics Handbook,"
adds Lin. "We tried to add information and ideas we
picked up from the folks we met at the bottom of the
world."
 Besides
actual storm tactics, the program includes information
on securing gear, checking rigging, and gaining
confidence before setting sail. The para-anchor setup is
shown in detail for Taleisin as well as for modern
boats, such as Beth Leonard and Evans Starzinger's
water-ballasted 47-fotter, Hawk.
Lin and Larry Pardey have now voyaged
more than 170,000 miles, including both east-about and
west-about circumnavigations. They have made passages on
20 different boats, ranging in size from their own 24'
4" and 29' 6" self-built cutters through modern racing
boats to 85-foot classic schooners. As Herb McCormick,
editor of Cruising Word puts it, "The Pardeys have
received more awards for their pursuits than Tom Hanks
has for his."
Editor and author Roger Taylor wrote
that their Storm Tactics Handbook "could save lives and
dreams." Reviewers are now making similar statements
about the graphic demonstrations of gear, tactics, and
advice presented in the Storm Tactics video.
Storm Tactics was shot on location in Chile, South
Africa, Cocos Keeling Atoll, Rio de Janiero and Isla
Grande, Brazil, and on the west coast of Ireland
including Dingle, County Kerry, Kinvarra and Carraroe,
County Galaway. Lin and Larry used a Hi8 camera powered
by two 13 watt solar panels connected to a 31 Amp
gel-cell battery. Editing was done on an Avid suite onto
Digibetacam stock using PAL format, then transferred to
NTSC on a VISTEK system. The final NTSC program was
compressed to DVD by RLX Video in Florida, USA. |
