All is Analyzed

Aug 20, 2010
1,399
Oday 27 Oak Orchard
Interesting comments at the link. My take; water, water, water. Number one priority above all else besides maintaining a proper lookout. Live for weeks without food, not so long without water. By the end of the movie it is clear how critical this often overlooked item is.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
A good time for a shave is not when your boat is holed?:eek:
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
One comment said that, if the guy was old and could not move fast that he should not have gone sailing. He obviously is no sailor. Problem solving starts between the ears. Define the situation and identify the immediate threat and how much time you have to contain it. Formulate a plan and analyze the short and long range consequences of each major step. Gather the necessary tools and materials and proceed to put the plan into action. Move and work efficiently. Consider and employ temporary fixes that will get you more time to do a proper job. The old guy may have just solved the problem before lifting a finger. Executing a plan is the easy part as once you know you have a viable solution in hand and the time to do it there is no panic just focus. A less experienced person may start moving around furiously and grabbing at things and doing things that pop to mind but without a plan he cannot visualize the outcome and the uncertainty will soon blend into panic. There are very experienced young sailors that would perform remarkably well but the person that made the comment is not likely one of them and he will get old one day and probably abandon his dreams to a rocking chair or couch.
 
Apr 22, 2011
865
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
I've been a Robert Redford fan ever since Downhill Racer which I was drawn to because of the skiing. Same with All Is Lost, a must see because of the sailing connection. Enjoyed the movie and was surprised that there was no dialog other than when he screamed out the F word. Tough to tell a story without using words. Although the F word pretty much summed up his state of mind.
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Interesting comments at the link. My take; water, water, water. Number one priority above all else besides maintaining a proper lookout. Live for weeks without food, not so long without water. By the end of the movie it is clear how critical this often overlooked item is.
Perhaps water is something overlooked by coastal and Caribbean cruisers, but I only know of one case where it was a second thought for a vessel preparing for an ocean crossing. With one TransAt under my belt carrying only 60 gallons of fresh water for two adults and a child, I can assure you that even today, with 300 gallons in the tanks and a 30gph watermaker, it is amazingly difficult for me to take a leisurely shower, even at anchor, let alone a quickie at sea.
Water conservation is second nature for every sailor who crosses oceans.
 
Aug 20, 2010
1,399
Oday 27 Oak Orchard
A good time for a shave is not when your boat is holed?:eek:
Learned real quick why the Army relaxed grooming standards (clean shaven) when at sea. The phosphorous in seawater tingles quite a bit on freshly shaven skin. :yikes:
 
Apr 11, 2010
946
Hunter 38 Whitehall MI
There was quite a string posted here when the movie first came out.
It was the general consensus that despite the movie critics rave that it was the role of Redfords life it was an awful movie.
Apart from so many sailing inaccuracies, far fetched and unrealistic solutions, and just plain unbelievable aspects the story was lame. I mean seriously does anyone believe you can take fiberglass roving, west epoxy and paste it to the outside of a wet dirty hull, have it stick and actually keep water out and withstand the force of storms with no reinforcement?

You drop in to,the story of this guy on a boat, you have no idea who he is, how or why he got there, or what his story is. And somehow we were expected to bond with him, and to care wether he lives or dies.

Sorry, just left me underwhelmed and thinking it was the worst Redford movie and perhaps one of the worst movies I'd ever seen.

Search for the previous thread, it provided some enormous comic relief as people picked apart the far fetched sailing story.
 
Last edited:
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
I think the first thing I would have done would be to start the engine. It is easier to keep the engine running, even if the boat fills with water than to try to start it after its water logged. The engine can power any kind of pumping mechanism. If the water was coming in fast, I might be inclined to pull the intake on the engine water pump and let that help pump the water out. Secondly with the engine running, you have a better chance of controlling the heel of the boat. You might be forced to run around in circles, to help the boat lean, but that is what is going to keep the water out. Very early on, I would have also hit my emergency beacon. Worst case, if the boat sinks, the container seems to be floating just fine. On the way up out of the cabin, I'd have grabbed my life jacket, as who knows how fast the boat is going to go down. I'd have also fished out my inflatable dingy.

There seemed to be a mental disconnect in reacting to the fact that it was an emergency, as opposed to being completely distracted by the immediate problem at hand. When an emergency occurs, there should be a list of automatic things you do first, before you address the actual emergency. While I was taught that as part of my sailing lessons, the concept of preparedness hit home much stronger with my previous boat. It sailed poorly and was very tender. I learned to put my resources close at hand before I left the dock. Made sure I have everything I could possibly need, if something bad happened.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
first thing is to stem the flow of water coming in.
But how could one predict if the attempt at stemming the flow will be successful? If it is unsuccessful, one would be in a world of hurt with all the survival resources on the ocean floor.
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
There was quite a string posted here when the movie first came out.
It was the general consensus that despite the movie critics rave that it was the role of Redfords life it was an awful movie.
Apart from so many sailing inaccuracies, far fetched and unrealistic solutions, and just plain unbelievable aspects the story was lame. I mean seriously does anyone believe you can take fiberglass roving, west epoxy and paste it to the outside of a wet dirty hull, have it stick and actually keep water out and withstand the force of storms with no reinforcement?

You drop in to,the story of this guy on a boat, you have no idea who he is, how or why he got there, or what his story is. And somehow we were expected to bond with him, and to care whether he lives or dies.

Sorry, just left me underwhelmed and thinking it was the worst Redford movie and perhaps one of the worst movies I'd ever seen.
I could only stand to watch the first fifteen minutes or so. Came to the same conclusion you did, only quicker.
 
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Oct 29, 2005
2,355
Hunter Marine 326 303 Singapore
But how could one predict if the attempt at stemming the flow will be successful? If it is unsuccessful, one would be in a world of hurt with all the survival resources on the ocean floor.
just stuff cushions into the gapping hole just little above waterline.
 
Feb 2, 2010
373
Island Packet 37 Hull #2 Harpswell Me
" Looks like they are turning All is Lost into a example of what not to do. Interesting and thought provoking."

For 30 years i was involved with SAR, including annual sea drills in a dinghy, helicopter winching and flying over the Atlantic at low level for many hours.
This movie was atrocious, i watched it because i like Redford, i like boating and hoped for the best but was badly let down. On walking out the cinema, i told my wife that the only use of that film was to provide a discussion vehicle on what not to do in a survival situation. Its good to hear that the ASA has the same view.
The only good bit was the ending.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
It seems this is more a study in movie making than sailing. It's an example of what happens when the screenwriter/director does not know much about the subject. We watch the predicament unfold for which there are obvious solutions and the main character does everything wrong. Not very interesting.
 

kito

.
Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons
I guess I am one of the few that actually enjoyed this movie. I didn't watch it to get quizzed by the ASA afterward. Yes, plenty of errors within the movie but sometimes you have to check your IQ at the door......like when I watch Dumb and Dumber for the 20th time :)