KevinS
Senior Insider
There is a movie currently in production called Vanishing Sail. It tells the story of the hand-crafted Carriacou Sloops, West Indies Schooners, and trading by sail in the West Indies.
The Carriacou Sloops and West Indies Schooners are the boats that were in St Barth last weekend for the West Indies Regatta, and the Regatta is how I found out about this film.
St Barth was a key port in West Indies trade. The film trailer speaks of smuggling alcohol and cigarettes, but island people have also told me about salt being smuggled, as well as cattle being “baptized” on St Barth before going on to another island.
The filmmakers are currently trying to raise $48,000 in additional funding through Kickstarter.com in order to finish the movie. Kickstarter works on an all-or-nothing basis - either the project receives pledges totaling at least 100% of the goal, or no funding is done. As of this morning, approximately $33,000 out of the $48,000 had been pledged, with 8 days left to go.
From their funding webpage on Kickstarter.com:
“Filmed in the Grenadines, Vanishing Sail tells the story of trading by sail in the West Indies, and follows a community of boat builders in Carriacou who struggle to maintain their tenuous grip on a dying skill. Through a collection of dramatic sailing scenes, rare archival footage and unprecedented interviews with the last old, Caribbean Sea Captains, Vanishing Sail seeks to preserve the legacy of boatbuilding in the Grenadines, first introduced by Scottish settlers in the 19th century.
Crafted on the beach, with skills passed down the generations, these schooners and sloops worked the trade winds, fishing and carrying cargo - including contraband from St. Barthelemy where the smuggling trade in alcohol and cigarettes thrived until the 1970's.”
I think that this is an interesting project, a film worth making, and I have made a pledge.
RI Yachting’s page about the project:
http://www.riyachting.com/vanishing-sail
The Kickstarter.com page to view the Trailer and for project funding:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/773901300/vanishing-sail
The Carriacou Sloops and West Indies Schooners are the boats that were in St Barth last weekend for the West Indies Regatta, and the Regatta is how I found out about this film.
St Barth was a key port in West Indies trade. The film trailer speaks of smuggling alcohol and cigarettes, but island people have also told me about salt being smuggled, as well as cattle being “baptized” on St Barth before going on to another island.
The filmmakers are currently trying to raise $48,000 in additional funding through Kickstarter.com in order to finish the movie. Kickstarter works on an all-or-nothing basis - either the project receives pledges totaling at least 100% of the goal, or no funding is done. As of this morning, approximately $33,000 out of the $48,000 had been pledged, with 8 days left to go.
From their funding webpage on Kickstarter.com:
“Filmed in the Grenadines, Vanishing Sail tells the story of trading by sail in the West Indies, and follows a community of boat builders in Carriacou who struggle to maintain their tenuous grip on a dying skill. Through a collection of dramatic sailing scenes, rare archival footage and unprecedented interviews with the last old, Caribbean Sea Captains, Vanishing Sail seeks to preserve the legacy of boatbuilding in the Grenadines, first introduced by Scottish settlers in the 19th century.
Crafted on the beach, with skills passed down the generations, these schooners and sloops worked the trade winds, fishing and carrying cargo - including contraband from St. Barthelemy where the smuggling trade in alcohol and cigarettes thrived until the 1970's.”
I think that this is an interesting project, a film worth making, and I have made a pledge.
RI Yachting’s page about the project:
http://www.riyachting.com/vanishing-sail
The Kickstarter.com page to view the Trailer and for project funding:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/773901300/vanishing-sail