Vanishing Sail

I enjoyed watching Vanishing Sail just now via Vimeo on Apple TV, I must say that this is one of the most beautiful Films in Sailing/Maritime/Sea/Emotional/Family categories I have watched in a long time.

It captured the Boat/Yacht building heritage, craftsmanship and human emotions and their links with the traditions and sea.

I'm waiting to own it on DVD and iTunes.

Often intimate and moving tale of honest and simple island life . Held together by traditions continually under threat as but always Hope on the horizon . Beautifully filmed and movingly narrated by the film maker . This is a truly heartfelt story that should move all but the cynical . Shows an often unrecorded village life in the holiday playground of the Caribbean . A backwater where life a float to fish or trade are the unavoidable essentials of daily life . No where on the planet is the lot of the fisherman an easy one but he depends in turn on the boat builder . He remains at the heart of many coastal villages supplying those simple graceful craft . A great film that will find a space in your heart with a glimpse into the other lives that just go on getting on against the odds and of course Mother Nature at her most destructive . It deserves more exposure .

Worried that it might be his last, a one man band boatbuilding operation brings his whole family into building this beautiful sailing boat. This gorgeous film is made by a few who really know and understand the people and the place - and of course the boats and their importance to life to this Caribbean island community. The soundtrack is of the sounds and voices of this quiet village and the exceptionally stirring music that rises from this part of the world. Completely amazing, and one to treasure on DVD.Vanishing Sail has won numerous awards internationally, and is part of a campaign to get people all over the world to value their local craft cultures and to recognise the importance of them in their lives. A film not to be missed!

I went to see the UK premier of Vanishing Sail in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and absolutely loved it! The connection with the Hebrides being that many of the first boat-builders on the island where Vanishing Sail was filmed, Carriacou, came from Scotland, and also that for generations, both Windward Islanders and Hebrideans have looked to the surrounding seas, and to boats, for their livelihoods. This is the story of vanishing skills, shifting family dynamics, the aspirations of young men growing up on a small island and their natural desire to look outwards, a vibrant community, and the dogged determination of one man - Alwyn Enoe - risking everything to build one last boat. It's an enchanting piece of storytelling packed with characters you want to spend time with: beautifully shot, engaging, moving, funny and exciting. I hope it goes on to connect with audiences everywhere. It certainly deserves to.

What a delightful film. Not only does it give a feel for what's involved in the proud art of Caribbean boat building but it does so tactfully and with the right dose of island humor.

The viewer gets to sample Caribbean life, along with the frustrations and challenges of small-island resources.

It is enticing and thoroughly educational. Anybody who loves the pleasure of sailing and the spirit of the sea will certainly enjoy "Vanishing Sail."