Retired Caribbean yachters for tv show.

[Finnegan]

Hello everyone,
I work for a company called Films of Record. We’re researching a documentary about the exciting things that people do when they enter retirement. We’re looking at the real “lifetime dreams” and “big blowouts” that people do when they finally have time - like buying the ultimate summer house in Tuscany, backpacking around the world, getting your pilot’s license… One story that we’re keen to pursue is the idea that some retired couples sell up in the UK, buy a yacht and sail it to the Caribbean. We have been put onto the story by a contact, and are currently trying to find out just how widespread a trend this is – or if it exists at all. We’re very keen to make contact with anyone who might be considering undertaking this very exciting adventure. Contact us on 0207 286 0333 or henryb@filmsofrecord.com

Founded in 1979 by BAFTA Fellow Roger Graef, Films of Record is an award winning television production company with a reputation for intelligent and thoughtful factual documentaries. Recent credits include productions for BBC Panorama, ITV.com and Channel 4. There's more about us at www.filmsofrecord.com.

All the best,
Tom Porter.

 

[tidclacy]

Fraid most people doing this want the quiet life, happy to get away from TV, hectic modern life etc so you may find it difficult to get anyone to help.

 

[Rum_Pirate]

Depends if there is a significant 'appearance' fee involved?

 

[Peterduck]

It is a real phenomenon, all right, and one which I was very nearly a part of, except that arthritis stood in the way, and now I have to 'swallow the anchor'. I have a number of friends who are doing this very thing, but because of where we are The Great Barrier Reef or Pacific islands are closer. From what I have read, most Brits go to the Med. rather than the Caribbean. A very small number do the 'around-the-world' stunt, but they are the hard core cruisers. I think that your film could explore the variety of places that cruisers go to, not just the Hedonists Highlights like the Caribbean. That is the usual shallow approach taken by most TV journalists. Another theme to explore is the high degree of self-sufficiency that these sailors have. If you look a bit deeper into the subject, there is enough material for a series, not just a single programme.
Peter.

 

[tcm]

The current caribbean season is coming to a close at the moment and lots of the those with boats (incl retired people) are planning moves out of the caribbean sea itrself for the coming summer hurricane season cos otherwise their boats may get ripped to bits. It is normal for boats to come ashore or just be somewhere else from june/july until late november. I havea boat there and due to sail out in a fortnight,and many others are hovering around towards the northernish or southernish bits of the carib to sail away, or booking lifting machines to be ashore, or have alreqdy cleared off to the pacific.

It is possible to hunker down and stay in the caribbean and the french islands especialy just huh pah drive their boats into the mangrove if a hurricane turns up.

The next carib season 2007-2008 might possibly be thought of as starting with the ARC (atlantic Rally crossing for cruisers) 2007 which starts off from las palmas at the ridiculously early ( i think) 23rd November from the canaries. This findable on the web and good filming opportunities with the rules stipulating that boats should be "dressed" ie all the little flags up and down the rigging very pretty, plus last minute arg busted engine, gear uh-oh problems or rows with crew and other younger hobo type trying to find a berth across etc etc, all 150ishboats to be found flapping in their various ways in las palmas.

But i dunno how many flumpy yawn retired types will be on this , cos it is quite early and racey these days. Very duffery old retired types like me aged 47 with non-matching slippers and quite old deck shoes bought for me by crew who took pity on the last pair - will go at least a week later in december and save the yahoo ARC entry fee which is only good value if you normally pay £7.50 for a rum punch. I mean, those ARC orgainsers don't even put out nice signposts or anything! It is strictly for hooray North London types as far as I can tell.

So the rest of us will be in other canary island marinas or skulking in a bay. But you can tell the transat types cos of the gear they carry, and they wil be v jolly and hanging out all around the canaries thoughout november, worryiong about the crossing or ahem perhaps thinking mebbe we could stay here and just not go eh? Which is also quite a nice idea too, though filmwise a flippin dead loss.

I still reckon the ARC is the place to start for a film crew, make contact with orgainsers and join in their pre-departure "seminars" based in UK hotel places and they tellem to wear suits! I beleieve they give some entrants the heeby jeebies by telling them about every single cockup with pix and arg bad wind... but not the fact that if you were a bit ooer quite wurridly cautious you'd be exactly the sort that go with their rally ... but then the orgainsers maximise risk of bad weather by going early! Dang.

Oh, and for your research phase, praps you shd refer to "yotties" not "yachters", not that it matters too much but at least you won't seem so green. Being called a "yottie" is fine for anyone on the ARC, quite appreciated.

But yes, if ou looking to film in the carib it is not actually that hard you to find retired people and will deffo find all sorts of people on yotws incl retired peeps who trundle around north and south to find nice friends and avoid bad weather, and quite hardened gnarly types who cross the atlantic twice a year, and also circumnavigating types who may be in the caribbean for only a brief 6-8 weeks or so before whizzing off to panama and pacific for "milk run" through the pacific to NZ by following November.

Oh and finally,i bought my boat from a more retired type who ordered a new boat on atlantic fr coast and yeeha set off and did the transatlantic thing ...only to find he hated boats and boating, and his wife wouldn't come on the boat much if at all, so he put the boat up for sale, and i bought it only four mohnths after he'd bought it new. Heyho.