A Day as a Movie Star!

Diversity is what I wanted from my job in 2008 and that is certainly what I have got. On Sunday I was bashing around the Solent with a fantastic team competing in the Spring Series, the next day I was driving though some of the most stunning scenery that I have ever seen on my way to one of Britain’s most extreme outposts and today I am going to be a movie star!

Well, I guess a movie star may be a slight exaggeration! My £100.00 ‘extra’s’ fee is fairly mediocre compared to the £20m fee that Brad Pit demands per movie and fairly indicative of the inconsequential role that I will be playing, although I am sure he is not £20m better looking than me! The sailing team were asked to put the hoods up on their wet weather clothing so as not be recognised in the shots. The reason given was that we would have to be paid considerably more if our faces were recognisable; we all took it as a polite way of telling us that we were not good looking enough to become real movie stars. However this was going to be a new experience for me and is all quite exciting.

Volvo Cars are producing a new TV commercial to promote their new special edition XC90 4WD in conjunction with the Volvo Ocean Race, hence Sailing Logic’s involvement. Sailing Logic was commissioned to supply a Volvo 60 yacht in the Isle of Skye for the commercial and here I am, ready to make my acting debut!

The commercial has been titled ‘Dark and Stormy.’ Therefore it was understandable when the art directors expressed displeasure at the forecast for the filming of the Volvo 60 race yacht. It was to be an untypical, beautiful sunny day with little wind on the Isle of Skye, the island famous for having four seasons in a day! Not ideal. One of the things that really impressed me with the production team was the structure and organisation. Richard, the producer commented ‘this is the only way we can function. When there is a team of over 100 personnel it is very important to have a very clear and structured brief that is adhered to at all costs. It simply costs too much to deviate from this slightly. Everything has been thought of right down to who is responsible to ensure that there is sufficient coffee on the set’

It very quickly became clear to me why the marine industry cannot operate with such a rigid brief. Sailing depends greatly on the unreliable and unpredictable weather! To this end plans have to remain fluid. In the yachting industry we fully appreciate this but trying to make land loving film producers and airy fairy art directors understand this is an impossible task. They have their brief and meticulously structured programme that must be followed. When a team of over 100 people are involved in six different locations over a five day period it would simply be too difficult to alter the plans, even slightly.

This is a little bit frustrating when the forecast for two days later would be perfect for the brief (30 knots of wind and rain)! So we quietly slipped the mooring buoy, as planned at 0500 and headed out to Neist Point for the morning’s filming, under Jane’s Lighthouse. Surprisingly there was more wind than anticipated which would provide enough to fully power up our awesome ocean racing machine. For the next three hours there was a real buzz as the helicopter flew over head just metres away from us and filming boats circled around us capturing the necessary footage. The conditions were far from ideal to achieve exactly what they needed but Richard did point out that we would hardly recognise what had been filmed by the time the editing team had added there special effects and carefully manipulated the footage.

Jane, my old friend who I am staying with in the lighthouse has always said she has dreamed of the day that I would bring a boat and dock it on the landing jetty under the cliffs of her lighthouse. Whilst we did not dock the multi million pound ocean racing yacht at the bottom of the cliffs, Jane did concede that bringing a helicopter, support boats, a film crew and a famous race yacht far exceeded her expectations and certainly fulfilled her unusual dream!

Next it was back to land where I had the wonderful opportunity to watch the production team in full flow filming the XC90 4WD. I was amazed to see the size of the team required and just stood in complete awe of what was going on. ‘All of this for a 60 second TV commercial’ I quietly thought to myself. One of the producers pointed out to me that a TV commercial costs 10 times more to produce than a Hollywood movie per frame! Quite staggering, but I could see why.

The stress levels on set are extremely high and it surprised me the way people spoke to each other. Directors were barking orders, producers demanding refreshments, runners ensured everything was in the right place at the right time, actors received the wrath of the art director for failing to deliver the correct look or timing and the technical team always seemed on edge, wary of the vast amounts of money being swallowed up every second of the day. Time is money on set and lots of it. The slightest delay was dealt with in a scathing and harsh way. No hiccup was tolerated, no delay was acceptable.

Suddenly, a disgruntled and irate director called time out for lunch. Several mini buses transcended on the set to shuttle the entire team to the local community centre for a superb lunch. Everyone congratulated each other for a job well done, the director patted actors on the back and the team looked at ease as the conversation about a great mornings filming echoed around the double decker bus that had been converted into a restaurant. A complete contrast to what was happening on set where each member of the production team seemed to take it in turn to be chastised for the most negligible delay or smallest setback.

Some of you may think this sounds familiar! I guess it is not dissimilar to a day out on the water racing around the cans! I will remember what I thought about that art director when the kite takes three seconds longer to hoist than I had hoped for or the genoa is marginally over trimmed coming out of a tack! Hopefully my team will remind me of this soon after the start of the race, if they dare!

Variety is the Spice of Life

One of the things which I love about my job is the variety. Over the past few years the variety has been slightly lacking as I have exclusively focused on racing. It is no great secret that by the end of last season I was burnt out with the desperate need to tweak my routine slightly.

It is very easy in anyone’s career to slip into a rut and plod along year in year out, finding security in our daily routine that does not vary sufficiently to inspire and enrich our lives. At the end of last season I recognised that things needed to change and I identified introducing variety into my life, (socially, career wise and sporting) as the special ingredient.

The Open 60 project at the tail end of last season now seems like a distant memory. What it did do though is provide me with the foundation to re structure my lifestyle in a very positive way. Sailing with Steve White on the Spirit of Weymouth inspired me and made me realise how much more there is to life and sailing than just following my annual routine, which was starting to loose the glamour, motivation, fun and fulfilment that it had previously provided.

A few weeks ago I was in Barcelona with a friend enjoying a working holiday commissioning a new yacht, over Easter (instead of competing in the Red Funnel Regatta) I was instructing a Coastal Skipper course for previous clients who had all become good friends. Another week and I was in North France to collect and deliver a catamaran back to Hamble, the yacht had been wrecked a few weeks before, sunk, been salvaged and had subsequently received a temporary repair which would hopefully get her home safely. Albeit without any electrics, gas, cushions, bunks…….!! Every weekend between I was out training and racing with my new Spring Series team, most importantly, I once again loved every minute of it.

This week is providing me with a very special experience. A few years ago an old friend of mine, my cabin mate from when I sailed around the world in 1996, bought the lighthouse on Neist Point on the Isle of Skye. I have planned to visit Jane for the last couple of years but never found the time to do so preferring to blame work commitments and a busy lifestyle. A wonderful opportunity came up recently when Sailing Logic asked to provide a Volvo 60 for a TV commercial to advertise the new Volvo XC90; the location…..Dunvegen, Isle of Skye! I obviously jumped at the opportunity to be involved. How exciting.

Driving out of Glasgow reminded me of the TV advert for Peugeot. The one where the driver wanted to get to Glasgow but at every junction the all knowing and highly accurate Peugeot GPS system would send the driver in the opposite direction to every sign post for Glasgow. Very confused the driver reluctantly trusted the in car system. After a while the Peugeot went around a final bend and stopped to admire the most amazing view overlooking the Lomand National Park. The GPS’s final words were ‘now enjoy.’ The driver admiringly looked at the long winding road that could be seen for miles before disappearing into the mountains.

Now it was my turn to enjoy this most amazing country side. I kept thinking ‘this is amazing’ and as I progressed further North to one of the remotest places in Britain it just continued to get better. The scenery up here is nothing short of breathtaking and my excitement continued to grow as Neist Point Light House gradually drew closer.

After a six hour drive it sunk in just how remote Jane’s home really is. I parked the car at the top of Jane’s drive situated on top of a headland in one of Scotland’s most remote outposts. Next was the long walk of the garden path; a cliff path that provided a fifteen minute walk to Janes’s front door.

I was greeted by a beaming friend at the front gate with a warm and welcomed hug closely followed by a chilled glass of bubbly looking out toward Barra, perched at the bottom of a lighthouse. A new experience for me made better by the seasons first sighting of a pod of Minke whales as they surfaced under the cliffs of Jane’s home, a very special moment.

Sadly, I had to depart before the sunset (that will have to wait for another day) to attend the production meeting for the next day’s filming. Then back to the lighthouse for a glass of Talisker and a bit of a catch up before bed, the alarm clock set for 4am to get me to the boat by 5am. The next day is going to be yet another experience; I am going to be a film star! More about that tomorrow!

Race Four and Five