Winter Sailing through the eyes of Amazon Prime

Winter in the Pacific Northwest is never the same from one year to another.  Once boat shows are done, we sailors crave the break in the weather in mid to late February when winter seems to stop, and we get two weeks of nice weather.  Often this nice weather is followed by 6 more months of rain.

To squash my urges to get out to boat, go down the Columbia River, and turn left, I have discovered the old forgotten sailing movies of the Hollywoods glory days. I found them on Amazon Prime to watch as part of the service for the subscription.  Here are a few that were intestine recently:

• The Voyage of the Yes. Starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Mike Evans is about two teenage boys that set off for Hawaii from California in a Columbia 30.  Reminds one of the racial issues of the time.
• Kill Cruise.  Set in the 1990's with really big hair, it's about a mysterious sailor who takes on two young women from Europe to the Caribbean.  The big mystery is who is the real bad guys on the boat.
• Sea Wolf.  Famous story about Wolf Larsen and his hard tactics with men.  He makes the men of the HMS Bounty look like weaklings in comparison to what his crew handled.
• Dead Tides. About an ex-navy seal that seems to have every woman in the world chase after him in one way or another while he combats the boarder patrol and the drug lords to sail with attractive women.   If you don't take it seriously it's kind of funny.  The wooden sloop in the movies is beautiful. 
• The Dove. Of course this is a classic to all single handed sailors.  The adventures of Robin Lee Graham, the sixteen-year-old yachtsman who makes a five-year voyage around the world.
• Tripoli Starring Maureen O'Hara takes place in the war between the Jefferson's US and the Tripoli pirates in 1805. Less a true sailing movie, but I got sucked into seeing how corny Maureen O'Hara's character was played as she made her way across the desert.
• The Wake of the Red Witch.  Starring John Wayne it's a classic that all sailors should watch.  What was really bad in the movie was the fight seen between John Wayne's character and the 60 foot, rubber octopus. That scene will remind you how far Hollywood special effects has come.

All the movies were entertaining and kept me from going completely nuts as I wait for the spring teaser that mother nature always give us.

Meanwhile last weekend the S/V CarolMarie's decks were washed, and all system checked before this week's winter weather hit again.