In our recent review of Robert Redford’s new movie, All is Lost,  about a solo sailor in a sinking sailboat, we noted various glitches, mistakes and omissions which distracted from an otherwise gripping and engaging movie. Readers who commented on the post have added extensively to the list of problems with the film.

One topic that has not been raised was the relatively brief period of time that the unnamed sailor played by Redford spent in the life raft. The movie starts in a life raft with a voice-over in which the sailor is saying goodbye to unidentified loved ones.  A graphic then appears on the screen which says “Eight Days Earlier,” and the movie begins.  From the events that take place, it looks like the sailor cannot have been in the life raft for more than four or five days until he has concluded that “all is lost” writing a note to loved ones that he throws overboard in a glass jar.  It is unclear by the end of the movie how many more days have passed but as evidenced by the lack of a growth of beard, it can’t be many more.

One of our chief complaints about All is Lost was the absence of emergency electronic signalling devices, such as an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.)  Fortunately, these days, with satellite communications, most sailors who get into trouble can call for help electronically. This is, however, a fairly recent advance.  For virtually all of history, sailors in lifeboats have been on their own.  Here is a look back at three sets of surviving sailors who spent far more time in their life rafts than the the sailor in “All is Lost.” 

Dougal Robertson and five others survived 38 days in the Pacific in a rigid dinghy and a life raft after their schooner Lucette was sunk by a pod of killer whales in 1972.  Rather than simply drift in their dinghy and life raft, waiting to be rescued, the group sailed into the doldrums where they caught rain water to drink. They also caught fish to eat. Their plan was to sail their boats to Central America. They might have succeeded if they had not picked up by the Toka Maru II, a Japanese fishing trawler.  Dougal Robertson later wrote a book, Survive the Savage Sea, which was also made into movie. I wonder how the movie, which starred Robert Ulrich and Ali McGraw would compare to All is Lost.  Douglas Robertson, Dougal’s son also wrote Last Voyage of the Lucette.

Maurice and Maralyn Bailey spent 117 drifting in a life raft and an inflatable boat in the Pacific after their 31′ sailboat, the Auralyn, was struck by a whale and sank in 1973.  After traveling some 1,500 miles, the Baileys were rescued by the crew of a Korean fishing boat, the Weolmi 306.  Their book, Staying Alive! 117 Days Adrift, was a best seller. They used the money from the book to buy another a new yacht, the Auralyn II, and set sail again on a voyage to Patagonia.

Steven Callahan was adrift for 76 days after his Mini Transat 6.5 meter sailboat, Napolean Solo, sank in the Atlantic in 1982.  Unlike the Baileys or the Robertsons, Callahan had an early pre-Satnav version of an EPIRB which broadcast a distress signal over frequencies monitored by airplanes.  Unfortunately, his raft was in an section of the ocean not commonly flown over by passenger airlines.  He was also well equipped with flares, but failed to attract the attention of nine passing ships.  He finally drifted to the island of Marie Galante, south east of Guadeloupe, where he was picked up by a fishing boat just a few miles offshore.  Among the supplies that Callahan was able to rescue from his sinking sailboat was a copy of Dougal Robertson’s Survive the Savage Sea.  Callahan went on to write his won New York Times best seller, Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea.   Callahan was hired as an advisor for the lifeboat scenes in Life of Pi.

It is a shame that the movie producers did not hire Callahan or some other knowledgeable sailor for the production of All is Lost.