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.” 

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